Truth Be Told
by HazelI'd
Summary: A deeper look into moments from season 20. Welcome to my summer project!
1. Chapter 1

_Welcome to my summer project!_

 _A while back, Justicerocks and I were talking about what a Season 21 of Law and Order would have looked like if it had happened. Knowing that Alana De La Garza's pregnancy was going to be written into the show, I really believe that Mike and Connie as a couple would have happened in 21. There are just so many little moments in season 20 that I feel like were leading us there. (My husband says I'm just seeing what I want to...but I tell him it's his fault for getting me the Season 18-20 DVDs for Christmas and giving me the opportunity to review and dissect every little moment!)_

 _So this story was born! It will be mostly mid- or post-episode stories from some (but not all) of the episodes from season 20, and then going on into a virtual season 21, if you will. Just my brainchild of how Mike and Connie may have come to be if given the chance. Full disclosure, sometimes I pay attention to the episode scene cards that tell the dates within the episodes and sometimes I don't….please don't get too hung up on it if they don't really match._

 _Big thanks to Justierocks for bouncing ideas around and for your wonderfully encouraging pre-reading._

 _I kind of love these characters, but I own absolutely nothing. God bless Dick Wolf and NBC for bringing us Law and Order._

 _I hope you all enjoy this! This is my first multi chapter story, so I'm kinda nervous! I will try with every fiber of my being to post at least once a week (at least until school starts again!) Please let me know what you think as we go along!_

* * *

TRUTH BE TOLD

Chapter 1 - Boy Gone Astray

They walked wordlessly out of Jack's office. Mike was torn between mentally replaying the instructions that they had just received from Anita Van Buren regarding their security details, and trying to control the simmering combination of fear and anger that was roiling within him since Connie had looked at him and quietly said, "The _**dead**_ female lawyer. They're threatening me."

For her own part, Connie was simply trying, without success, to banish the words of the narcocorrido from her head. She felt anxious and unsettled, but she was striving to keep up the facade of resolve and control that she had portrayed moments earlier when she responded to Jack's suggestion that she remove herself from this case with, "I want to see this through."

 _Yes, see it through,_ she thought to herself, _keep working, stay focused, and you won't have time to be afraid._

Neither of them was really sure what to do. They had been told not to leave the building until they received word that their protection was in place. Mike opened the door to his office, then getsured for Connie to precede him into the room. She sank down onto the couch, watching as Mike picked up a worn leather baseball from his desk, pacing around the room as he tossed it between his hands. He glanced down at her as he continued his path back and forth in front of his desk. Finally, he drew in a deep breath before he spoke, because he knew she wouldn't like what he had to say.

"You know, maybe Jack's right," Mike began,

Connie turned to look at him, her eyes narrowing accusingly, "Not you, too."

"I'm just saying, under the circumstances, no one would think less of you if you stepped away."

"Oh, that's just great," She muttered, rolling her eyes. "And would you just step away Mike?" she challenged him. "Rafa needs us! I'm not going to be intimidated by a bunch of drug-pushing thugs!"

"So you're willing to put your own safety on the line?" Mike challenged her back. "Because I'm not! I want to help Rafa and get these guys just as much as you, but I am NOT willing to risk your life in the process!"

They just stared at each other for a long moment. Connie saw the fear in Mike's eyes, along with something else. Something she knew she had been seeing in his eyes for awhile now. Truth be told, it was something she knew he was beginning to see reflected back in her own eyes.

 _If only life weren't so complicated._ "Mike," she said in a voice barely above a whisper.

He sighed again, this time in resignation, and sat down beside her. He knew there was no way to keep her from working on this case. He knew he couldn't really ask her to stop. To force her to step away, even for her own safety, would be like trying to change her - her tenacity, her resourcefulness, her strength - all things he admired and, yes, loved about her. He couldn't force her to change and be anything less than everything that she was, "Just promise me that you'll be careful?" he asked.

Connie instinctively reached out and took his hand. "I will," she said. "I will be careful, and I will listen to Anita and the officers on the protection detail. But I can't just walk away from this. Rafa and his family, they need our help. I want to keep working."

Mike nodded his head, a whispered, "Okay," escaping his lips, He placed his other hand on top of hers and gently squeezed. "I know how strong you are, but you don't have to be strong all the time," he said, looking directly into her eyes. "Not with me."

Connie's eyes locked on Mike's. She seemed to get lost in their blue depths. She felt herself being drawn toward him.

And her phone rang.

They jumped apart as if bitten. "It's Van Buren," Connie rose from the couch to take the call.


	2. Chapter 2

_Because the first chapter was kinda short, and because the AC in my house has been out all weekend and FINALLY got fixed today, here's chapter 2 a little early. The quote Mike thinks about is from a writer named A.R. Lucas._

 _Thank you so much to everyone who is reading and reviewing! Enjoy!_

* * *

CHAPTER 2 - For The Defense

Connie Rubirosa stared blankly at the pile of motions on the table in front of her. Jack was right, the appeals on Marcus Woll's convictions had continued to roll in almost nonstop since Mike had closed the case with a conviction of his own.

"You two will have to work together day and night," Jack had told them after Mike had relayed the details of Rainey's plea deal which ultimately gave them Woll. "That won't be a problem, will it?" Jack had asked before leaving them alone together in his office.

Connie had glanced over at Mike. He looked positively ill. She gave him a small smile and a slight shake of her head, trying to convey to him that it would not be a problem, that everything would be okay, that things could go back to normal now. She was embarrassed and ashamed by what Mike had learned about her past with Marcus. And while she had felt a flash of irritation and anger when Mike had told her it was dumb to get involved with Woll, it was directed at herself as much as it was at Mike.

 _Everything will go back to normal,_ Connie thought as she shifted the piles of blue trifold papers, _yeah, right!_ These long days that stretched into the night while they plowed through the appeals had begun with a shy awkwardness, as if Connie and Mike had made a grand discovery, but they just weren't sure what to do about it.

Truth be told, the acknowledgement of whatever feelings they might have for each other didn't really come out of the blue. Connie had always been intrigued by Michael Cutter. She admired his determination, the way he fought for justice. She was intrigued by the way he sometimes used creative and unconventional methods in the courtroom. And he could also absolutely make her blood boil with anger at times. Connie wasn't completely obtuse. She had very nearly allowed herself to cross that line with him a month ago when they had first tangled with Woll, and a threat had been made against Connie. She was aware of Mike's attraction to her, as she was well aware of her own attraction to him. But to have it thrown in her face by a smug Marcus Woll of all people, to hear him say with a smirk that she was breaking "poor Mike Cutter's" heart, had caused her to redouble her efforts to keep her feelings hidden.

But truth be told, these late nights of working closely with Mike long after everyone else had gone home, had lowered her defenses.

As she sat in contemplation, the object of her thoughts was making his way through the office towards the conference room where they'd set up shop. Bags filled with cartons of take out Chinese food in hand, Mike stopped short as he saw Connie through the window of the conference room. He studied her profile, watching as she twirled a pen between her fingers.

 _She's so beautiful,_ he thought, then caught himself, glancing around, sighing in relief at finding the rest of the office deserted. This was not a new thought for him when looking at Connie. Truth be told, Mike had noticed her beauty the moment he first saw her. But as time went on and he really got to know her, Mike quickly realized that Connie Rubirosa was more than just a pretty face. She was brilliant and strong, formidable but also with a compassionate heart. She was not just a good lawyer, she was a good person. _The total package indeed,_ he thought to himself.

Mike Cutter was nothing if not a confident man. But he could not, for the life of him, imagine that he would ever stand a chance with her. Which made it that much worse when Marcus Woll took such pleasure in informing Mike of his previous relationship with Connie. "Just do it. I did," Woll had said with a sickening, egotistical smirk. And Mike had never wanted to cause bodily harm to another human being as much as he did in that moment.

Mike shook his head slightly, then walked into the conference room. Connie looked up and favored him with a smile, coming over to help him unpack their dinner.

"You got the Asian lettuce wraps?" Connie asked in slight surprise, because she knew he didn't care for them.

Mike's eyes met hers for just a second, before he shrugged. "They're your favorite," he said as he continued to busy himself with unloading the food.

Connie just watched him for another long moment. She'd never told him that. Apparently, after all the take out Chinese they'd shared together, he must have just noticed that she always got them when it was her turn to order. She supposed it wasn't so different from how she always remembered to order the Singapore style noodles for him. "Thank you," she said quietly. Mike looked over at her again, and their gazes held. He stuck a pair of chopsticks in a carton and handed it to her, their fingers brushing in the exchange.

"Make any headway while I was gone?" he asked, digging into his own carton.

Connie groaned. "Not really. I'm blaming low blood sugar and lack of sleep. I'm sure I'll be able to focus much better after this," she said, lifting the chopsticks to her mouth.

Mike glanced at his watch, seeing that it was already past nine on a Friday night. And here he was, enjoying dinner with a beautiful woman. _Oh, but if only,_ he thought to himself.

They exchanged small talk as they ate, and discussed ideas about the last appeal they had been working on before their dinner break. As they were cleaning up and contemplating getting back to work Connie said, "Just when I think we're almost there, another pile arrives."

"Maybe we should take the weekend off," Mike said. "I'm sure you could use a break from this, a break from me."

Connie gave him a small smile. "I thought you said I was stuck with you?"

Mike shrugged with a smile, in much the same way he had when he'd first said those words to her on the night they were preparing her testimony. They looked at each other over the table. The air in the room seemed to change.

"I don't really mind being here," Connie said. "And I certainly don't feel like I'm stuck."

"And I certainly don't think you're dumb," Mike said in return, "although after some of the things I said in court, you probably think a lot worse than that of me."

"No, you were right. It was dumb. That time in my life is probably my biggest regret," Connie paused. "I tried to just forget all about it, but it's influenced a lot of the decisions I've made since then," she admitted.

 _So, we're going to talk about this,_ Mike thought to himself, feeling as if they were approaching an important turning point. "Everybody makes mistakes," he said, "especially when they're in,"

"No!" Connie interrupted. It was suddenly imperative to her that Mike understand that she was never in love with Marcus Woll. "It wasn't like that. I was naive, and maybe a bit infatuated, but it never went beyond that." She dropped her eyes, worrying the straw from her drink cup between her fingers. "His charm definitely had a very short shelf life. I should have known better."

"Like I said, everyone makes mistakes," Mike said. He had a sudden flash of a quote that he'd once read: _If there's even a slight chance of getting something that will make you happy, RISK IT._

Mike was never one to shy away from a risk in the courtroom. He came to the realization that maybe, just maybe, now was the time to apply that same theory to his personal life.

"I can understand you not wanting to make a mistake like that again."

Connie's eyes met his. She once again lost herself in their brilliant blue depths, just as she had in his office a few weeks ago. "That's true," she began, "but I'm beginning to realize that the one thing worse than repeating a mistake is missing out on something that could be wonderful because I'm too busy hiding in the shadow of that mistake."

Mike's eyes flashed with understanding. He hesitantly leaned toward her until they were a breath apart. "This could get complicated," he said, his whispered words falling on her lips.

Connie nodded slightly and smiled. "What are you waiting for?" she whispered back. "I want this, too."

Mike looked into her deep brown eyes, and suddenly he just knew, everything was going to be okay.

And then he kissed her, leaning forward slightly, simply grazing his lips over her own, before deepening the kiss as he remembered the end of the quote he'd thought of earlier.

 _Life's too short, and happiness is too rare._


	3. Chapter 3

_Here's the next chapter... Let me know what you think!_

* * *

Chapter 3 - Shotgun

"Here ya go."

Connie Rubirosa looked up from the bench she was currently seated on outside of the Grand Jury deliberation room. She saw Mike Cutter, her colleague, her friend, her… well, they had yet to put an official label on this new aspect of their relationship. Were they dating? Having an affair? Connie really wasn't sure what to call it. They were definitely spending more time together during the past few weeks outside of the office. Dinners and drinks after work, Saturday night movies, brunch on Sundays, walks through the park, stolen kisses…

Truth be told, whatever it was, Connie was enjoying it. She took the coffee cup that Mike was holding out to her. "Thanks," she smiled as he sat down on the bench next to her.

"No progress?" Mike asked, glancing up at the "Grand Jury" sign illuminated above the door.

"Nope," Connie said, crossing her legs and taking a sip of her coffee. "Coming up on four hours."

"Anymore yelling?" Mike asked, turning toward her as he took a drink from his own cup.

"No, but I may start yelling soon," Connie said. They had stayed for about an hour, before deciding to step out for lunch. They had taken turns after that. Mike stayed while Connie appeared at an arraignment. Connie had then come back to wait while Mike ran back to the office, surprising her with a mid-afternoon caffeine boost when he returned.

And still they waited,

"Dinner tonight?" Mike asked quietly. They had decided not to absolutely hide this new aspect of their relationship. They weren't sneaking around or making attempts not to be seen together, but they also weren't broadcasting the fact that they were seeing each other.

Connie shrugged. "I don't know. I'm in serious need of doing some laundry, or I won't have anything to wear to work next week," she said.

Mike raised his eyebrows at her, a sly smile spreading across his face. "Well that would be a terrible problem," he said quietly.

Connie rolled her eyes. "I walked right into that one, didn't I?" she muttered as she brought her cup to her lips. She glanced at him shyly. "I could cook for us," she said, studying the lid of her cup before finally meeting his eyes again. "If you want to come over."

He favored her with a smile. This would be, yet again, venturing forth into new territory for them. While he had been to her place a few times to pick her up and she had been to his once to wait while he changed clothes before they headed out for an evening run, neither of them had spent a significant amount of time at the other's apartment. "Okay," he said, glancing down at the Blackberry in his hand to check the time. "Assuming we ever get out of here." He looked up at that moment, just in time to see Jack striding down the hall in their direction. Mike rose to his feet, Connie following his lead.

* * *

Mike pushed the button for Connie's floor, then stepped to the back of the elevator as the door slid closed. It was a relatively short ride to the fourth floor of the twelve story building in which Connie lived. He knew she usually took the stairs, but since he had a fairly expensive bottle of white wine in tow, he decided it was best to get there the sooner the better.

Mike knocked on Connie's door, smiled when she answered a few seconds later. "Hi," Mike said as Connie opened the door wider to allow him to enter. "Something smells good."

"Chicken enchiladas," Connie said.

"That sounds like a lot of work," he said, following her into the kitchen.

Connie shrugged, "Not really. It's my mother's recipe, which means it makes enough to feed a small army so I don't make it for just myself very often."

"Anything I can do to help?" Mike asked.

Connie looked around, then reached into a drawer. "You can open that," she said, nodding toward the wine bottle as she handed him a corkscrew. Mike went to work on opening the wine while Connie produced two glasses.

"What do you think Stan will do now?" Connie asked as she accepted the glass Mike had just filled for her. He took a drink from his own glass and shrugged.

"Dunno," he said quietly.

Connie placed a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry you had to hit him so hard during your questioning," she said.

Mike again tried to shrug it off. "All part of the job."

Connie opened her mouth about to say something else when the timer on the oven beeped. Mike helped Connie set the table and bring the food over as they sat down to enjoy their dinner. Connie smiled as Mike helped himself to a second helping of the main course, telling him with a laugh that she would be sure to tell her mother how much he enjoyed her recipe. As they finally finished up, Connie glanced at the clock on her stove and gasped. "I'm so sorry, but I need to run down to the laundry room," she said. "If I leave my stuff in the dryer too long the little old lady on the second floor will just dump it all out."

"Go ahead," Mike told her. She smiled, then dashed across the living room and out the door.

Alone for a moment, Mike looked around the kitchen and adjoining living room. He saw framed photos of Connie and her family nestled on a bookshelf among various books, DVDs, and other mementos. He could see her personality coming through. He took another look around, noting a small arrangement of fresh wildflowers on a side table in the living room. _She likes flowers,_ Mike thought to himself as he started clearing their dinner dishes from the table. _I need to remember that._

Mike had Connie's kitchen table cleared off and was just starting to wash the dishes when he heard the door open. He glanced over his shoulder to see Connie enter, laundry basket in hand. She promptly dropped the basket just inside the door before crossing the room to join Mike in the kitchen.

"What are you doing? You don't have to do that," she said, running a gentle hand across his back.

"What? You cooked. The least I can do is help clean up," he said.

On impulse, Connie leaned in and kissed him quickly, just a small peck on his lips. "You wash, I'll dry," she said, reaching into a low drawer behind her for a dish towel.

Their conversation made the work pass quickly. Mike asked Connie what other recipes her mother had shared, which led to Connie regaling Mike with stories of her childhood, baking and cooking with her mother and grandmother during summer trips to Mexico growing up. Though Mike didn't share lots of details about his family, he didn't hesitate to tell her about the escapades and heroics of a younger Mike Cutter on the baseball field during little league and high school. This led to a competition between them to see who could share the most embarrassing high school story. They moved into the living room, where they laughed together on Connie's couch as they sat facing one another, each with an elbow propped on the back of the couch, heads resting on their hands. There was a lull in the conversation, and they both just looked at each other, smiling. Mike reached out and took Connie's free hand in his own.

"It's getting late," he said quietly.

Connie nodded. "I've got some laundry that I should probably get folded and put away," she said, though she made no move to get up and do so. If anything, she felt herself being drawn closer to Mike.

"I should probably go," Mike said, leaning closer.

"Probably," Connie agreed as their lips met. Their kisses had evolved right along with the rest of their relationship. What started as gentle, almost hesitant, brushing of lips against lips had grown as they became more comfortable and confident with each other. They were quickly learning the feel and taste of each other. But instead of being satisfied with each new discovery, it only made them both want more. Mike deepened their kiss, exploring her mouth, sliding a hand around her back to draw her closer. Connie ran a hand through Mike's hair, coming to rest at the nape of his neck. They finally broke apart, staring into each other's eyes as they tried to catch their breath.

"Or, you could stay," Connie said, her eyes never leaving his.

Mike gently pushed her dark hair behind her ear, caressing her cheek. He knew what she was really saying. This would be another big step for them, and as much as he longed to make love to her, he did not want to push her. "Are you sure," he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

In answer, Connie simply leaned forward and captured his lips in another deep kiss. "I'm sure," she murmured between kisses.

* * *

 _True story - when I was in college there was a girl who lived in my dorm who would take all of your nice, clean, dry clothes out and throw them on top of the next dryer so she could use the one your clothes were in if you weren't around...even if there were empty ones available!_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - "Blackmail"

Mike Cutter sighed as he stared at his computer screen. Working on a Saturday was certainly not unheard of for him, especially after a break for Thanksgiving, but it was definitely not how he had been hoping to spend this particular Saturday. He and Connie had been enjoying an early dinner at Maxwell's. She was giving him a play by play of how she spent the Thanksgiving holiday with her family, including the revelation that her mother had sent home some leftovers with Connie specifically for Mike and had insisted that she let him know that he was more than welcome to join them at Christmas, as well as Black Friday shopping with her sister yesterday . They were planning to head back to Connie's apartment after dinner. It was her turn to choose the DVD for movie night. Though he knew she had chosen somewhat of a "chick flick" for them, he didn't mind too terribly. She had mentioned how much she had enjoyed the book _The Secret Life of Bees_ , and had wanted to see the movie when it came out the previous year, but just never had the chance to. Oh well, he thought. She sat through _Eight Men Out_ the previous weekend for him, so it was only fair. And anyway, the movie they watched would never be more important than the company. Plus, if he got really bored with the movie, he had ways to distract her.

Which was why the call that Connie received as they were leaving the restaurant, letting her know that there was some new information on Dennis DiPalma's money trail was, quite frankly, annoying. They'd just looked at each other for a moment, and then instead of crossing the street to go to Starbucks as they'd planned, they made their way down Reade Street to Centre Street, past Foley Square, and to their office at Hogan Place. Connie had headed straight to the fax machine, Mike to his office to pull the rest of the file as the shadows outside lengthened. Both of them were hopeful that they could wrap this up quickly and salvage what was left of the evening together.

Mike sat back in his desk chair with a smile on his face as he gave himself a minute to just think about Connie. Truth be told, he had worried early on that she'd change her mind about pursuing a relationship with him, that the potential damage to her professional reputation from "sleeping with the boss" would outweigh her feelings for him, But as the days turned into weeks, they only grew closer. Maybe it wasn't the greatest idea - he wasn't really sure what he would do if this relationship ended badly, which only made him more determined to make it work. He really believed that they could handle whatever came next together. He remembered the feeling he'd had before their first kiss, when he had looked into her eyes and had just known that everything was going to be okay. As things progressed between them, that feeling hadn't gone away. Though he hadn't told her in words yet, Mike knew he had undeniably fallen in love with Connie Rubirosa.

He shook himself out of his woolgathering and pushed away from his desk. Crossing over to one of the low filing cabinets, he pulled it open and began thumbing through the files inside. A few seconds later he heard a knock behind him, followed by Connie's voice. "Cayman Islands."

Mike pointed in her direction. "An offshore bank account," he said, once again focused on the case as the wheels in his head started turning.

"Opened one month ago in the name of Feature Literistics. A corporation registered to a Bahamas post office box," Connie said as she handed Mike the fax she had just received and perched on the corner of his desk. This had become something of a habit of Connie's as of late. Mike didn't mind at all, though at times it could be a bit distracting. Connie seated on his desk sometimes led to thoughts that bordered on less than pure. Mike sat down in his chair, focusing on the papers in front of him.

"Mr. DiPalma went to a lot of trouble to create an untraceable account to deposit a check he was never gonna cash," he said.

"Yeah, he was definitely more interested in the three million dollars than the Pulitzer Prize. But there's more," Connie told him. Mike looked up from the papers in front of him with raised eyebrows as he ran a hand through his hair. "He opened the account in person during a three day stay at a beach resort with Megan Kerik."

A smile played at Mike's lips. "A little more pubic hair transferring going on?" he asked.

"Apparently," Connie chuckled. "Either they were doing the blackmail together and had a falling out,"

"Or she really was working on an article, he found out about it, decided to go the blackmail route instead," Mike finished her thought, leaning forward at his desk. "She didn't want to go along, and he kills her."

"Or his accomplice did," Connie added.

"What accomplice?"

"The weekend they were in the Caribbean," Connie told him, "It's the same weekend Sara Bradley's apartment was broken into, and her hard drive with the compromising photos showed up in DiPalma's apartment. The police assumed that he had stolen it."

Mike shrugged. "Well, we all did."

They were both quiet for a moment before Mike pulled a marker from the drawer next to him and moved toward the whiteboard. "So, game plan," he said as he began writing, "we need to talk to DiPalma. We need to check with the police to see where they are on locating the missing laptop. And right now, we need to try to anticipate how Baron is going to try to spin this when he finds out what we know." He turned back towards her. "I guess this puts a wrench in our movie night plans," he said as he crossed to stand in front of her.

Connie just smiled. "Don't look so relieved. You're not completely off the hook for watching my 'girlie movie'," she said. "There's always next weekend. It will still be my turn to pick."

Mike glanced around before leaning in for a quick kiss. "I'm looking forward to it," he told her.

* * *

There were a few more twists and turns, but the DiPalma case was finally wrapped up. Things had been very busy, which had not afforded Mike and Connie much time to spend together outside of the office during the past week. They were both more than happy to take off early, well early for them which was normal time for most other people, on Friday evening after they had finally completed the paperwork to officially close the case. Mike had just grabbed his briefcase and saw Connie waiting for him at the door of his office.

"Blackmail Daisy chain," Connie said, "they definitely didn't teach that in law school."

Mike switched off the light in his office and fell into step beside her. "Turn about. It's only fair."

Connie smirked, "So that's the new game plan. We do what they do. Next time we try a murderer, we'll kill somebody "

Mike shrugged. "I don't know, we'll have to ask the boss," he said as they made their way to the elevator. Once alone inside, Connie turned to Mike.

"Coercion can be a pretty impressive tool," she said slyly.

Mike met her gaze, intrigued by the look in her eyes. "Impelling someone to do anything can be powerful, whether or not blackmail is involved," he said.

She took a half step closer to him and lowered her voice. "Any chance I could coerce you into coming home with me for movie night tonight instead of waiting until tomorrow?"

Mike adopted a thoughtful look, shaking his head. "I think I'd need something pretty compelling to persuade me."

Accepting his challenge, Connie leaned in and whispered in his ear her plans for the evening after the movie, her lips grazing his neck as she finished. She pulled back with a smile on her face as she heard the "ding" signaling that the elevator doors were about to open. Mike's eyes were wide as he gestured ahead. "Lead on," he said quietly, hoping the trip to her apartment would pass quickly, "I'm right behind you."


	5. Chapter 5

_I'm a bit nervous about this chapter. It is written mostly from Jack's point of view, which is new for me. Mike and Connie will always be my Law and Order OTP, but as I watched some of the older eps, Jack and Claire always kind of intrigued me, so there is a little shout out to them here. Please let me know what you think. Thank you for reading, and especially everyone who is taking the time to review - you all are awesome!_

* * *

Chapter 5 - Boy On Fire

Jack McCoy sat behind his desk, contemplating the pair who sat opposite him. His first and second chair assistant district attorneys had come to give him an update on the Cesar Ramirez murder case. The latest news was not good - Jolie Henderson was in the hospital, recovering from a gang rape. The three of them were discussing the best way to proceed. Mike thought the rape was a sign that the young girl knew more than she was telling them about Cesar's murder, and that the rape may have been a way to keep Jolie quiet about what she knew. Jack's suggestion that they use Jolie's rape as probable cause to search her apartment did NOT sit well with Connie.

"Oh, so we use what happened to her to back our way into a warrant?" Connie asked with fire in her eyes. "Damn lucky for us she was gang raped!"

"Nobody's saying that," Mike tried to soothe her.

Jack watched as their eyes met and they exchanged a look. He thought about what he was seeing between them right now, about what he had been noticing between them for the past several weeks, about the conversation he'd had with Mike during the Marcus Woll case.

And, truth be told, Jack also thought about the past. About a time when Mike's office had been his office. A time when it was Jack with a dark-haired, fire-eyed beauty working by his side. He remembered what was, and he thought about what could have been…

And Jack knew it was soon going to be time for another conversation, this time with both Mike and Connie.

For now, he simply said, "Just get the warrant."

* * *

"So Moses gets the reward," Jack said. He watched as Mike took two of the glasses he'd just poured, handing one to Connie before sitting down next to her on the couch. Mike and Connie took turns telling Jack the details of the outcome of their case, including the possible fate of Principal Woodside. Jack admonished them just a bit for being too easy on the educator, but didn't give them too long to contemplate what he had said before changing the subject.

"Do you two have plans for the holidays?" Jack asked, watching them closely. And he saw it. They nervously glanced at each other, just as Jack had expected they would when he purposely worded his inquiry in a way as to infer that they might, perhaps, be spending Christmas together. Which they were, in fact, planning to do with a Christmas Eve dinner together before spending Christmas Day dinner with Connie's mother and step-father. It had taken a healthy amount of work on Connie's part, but she was finally able to get Mike to agree, albeit reluctantly, to accept her mother's invitation. He was quite anxious about it, but was thankful at least that Connie knew him well enough to suggest to her mother that dinner with just her parents might be less daunting than the entire family gathering that Connie would attend on her own on Christmas morning.

But at the moment, that was the least of their problems. In the glance they had exchanged after Jack's not so innocently worded inquiry, Mike's eyes seemed to speak to Connie - _He knows!_ Finally, after what seemed like an eternity but was really only a few seconds, Connie recovered enough to respond. "Oh, just seeing family," she said without quite meeting his eyes. Mike simply stayed quiet.

Jack nodded his head, changing tactics. "You two have had some tough cases lately. I have to tell you, I was a little worried a few months ago after the Grogan trial, but it seems like you were able to work out your differences," he said, a small smile playing at his lips.

"Jack," Mike said, then stopped. They both knew, they were caught. The question was, what happens next? Connie stared into the glass in her hand, unable to meet Jack's eyes.

Finally, Jack took pity on them. "Do you remember what I told you when I said you needed to work out your issues after that case?" he asked. "I told you it's a big, messy world," Jack paused and smiled paternally, "It's easier to go through it **_with_** someone than alone."

They both finally looked up at him. Neither of them really knew what to say, but they at least had the good sense not to try to deny anything. Jack just continued to smile. "As your friend, I couldn't be happier for you," he said, before fixing them with a stern gaze. "As your boss and as someone who has found himself in this position before, a bit of advice. Be discreet. I can tell you are doing a fine job of that around the office already because of the ways I see you continuing to help and challenge each other in trying your cases. There's really no written policy against this, but if I see it beginning to affect your work I will call you both on it," Jack told them seriously. "When Mike does something stupid as he inevitably will do, work it out before you come to the office. And most of all," Jack paused for a moment, a sad smile of regret crossing his face before he continued softly, "if this turns out to be as serious as I think it is, don't ever take each other for granted. Life is short, and it can change in a heartbeat."

Mike and Connie looked at each other, neither of them quite sure how to react to their boss's words. Jack made the decision for them. He smiled at them fondly. "Now it's Christmas Eve, what the hell are you still doing here? Get out of here!"

Mike and Connie sat their now empty glasses on the table and stood to leave. "Thank you Jack," Mike said quietly as they reached the doorway.

"Merry Christmas," Connie added before they both turned to leave.

They each made their way to their desks to collect briefcases and put on coats. They finally caught up to each other at the elevator. They stood silently side by side as they waited for the car to arrive, happy that they were the only occupants as the door slid closed and they began their descent from the fifth floor.

"What the hell just happened?" Mike asked quietly.

Connie let out a laugh. "I guess the cat's officially out of the bag," she said. They had each separately known that this was coming, that they couldn't hide their growing relationship forever. And they didn't want to. But "the talk with the boss" could have, and maybe should have, been much more awkward than what just occurred. It was a relief, really, to both of them that Jack knew and that he seemed to have given them his blessing - something that meant more to Mike and Connie than they were willing to admit.

"I guess you're right," Mike said as the elevator doors opened and they made their way across the lobby and out into the chilly late afternoon air. As they walked toward the subway, snow began to fall softly. Mike, feeling emboldened by the events of the day and the holiday mood all around them, reached down and took Connie's free hand in his own and squeezed. She looked over at him and favored him with a dazzling smile, lacing their fingers together. They continued on down the street toward the subway station that would take them to Mike's apartment for their Christmas Eve celebration together, holding tightly to each other's hand the whole way.

* * *

 _I read somewhere from a person who actually worked at a New York DAs office in real life that it was pretty common for coworkers to date….plus there is a season 12 episode where Jack makes a comment to Nora Lewin about marrying one of his assistants...hence Jack's comment that they aren't breaking any rules. This is, after all, a complete work of fiction, so I'ma just go with it! :)_

 _Sorry this chapter is a little on the short side, too. Next week's chapter is looking like it will make up for it...stay tuned!_


	6. Chapter 6

_Super busy week as my little guy headed back to school, but as promised, here's a longer chapter! I hope you all enjoy it. I think it might be my favorite chapter so far. Thanks to everyone who is hanging with me on this story!_

* * *

Chapter 6 - Brilliant Disguise

"Well, I'm no bean counter! And if I have to go out on a ledge with Conway to get him, then that's what I'll do!"

Mike Cutter's words hung in the air between him and his boss. Connie stood behind him, watching as Jack and Mike just stared at each other for a long moment before Jack turned to leave. There was some anger in Mike's words, but Connie knew there was even more frustration. Mike's level of stress and irritation with Alex Conway had grown exponentially as the case had gone on. Connie feared that it was turning into a battle of egos, but after seeing the damage that Conway had inflicted on his victims, she tended to agree with Mike. Conway needed to go away for a good, long time.

Mike blew out an exasperated breath and turned, moving past Connie and toward his office. She gave him a few minutes to cool down before joining him.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she entered his office, closing the door behind her.

Mike sighed as Connie took a seat in the chair across from him. "Yeah," he said quietly. "It's just, this guy thinks he's smarter than we are! He thinks he can maneuver anyone and anything!"

"But you know that about him," Connie soothed, "and that's half the battle."

Mike sprang up from his chair and began pacing around the office, his agitation growing again. "Now I just have to figure out a way to trip him up in court."

Connie came forward and took his arm to stop him. "Let's get out of here for a bit and go get some coffee," she suggested. "Might help to take a break and clear your head."

Mike returned her soft smile before nodding in agreement.

* * *

Mike sat in the courtroom, listening as Conway's lawyer finished his questioning. He was just waiting for his turn to cross examine him. Mike had a plan to press Conway on Carrie Newton's absence. He planned to challenge the narcissist on the fact that he had not been able to prevail upon his own fiancée to testify for him.

As he began to question Conway, Mike could tell that his plan was working, but he needed more. Something to push Conway off of that ledge they were both out on. And then it came to him, and in the adrenaline rush that came with impending victory, Mike just started speaking.

"When I tell my people to jump, they jump," Mike said, snapping his fingers. "Like Ms. Rubirosa here? I once ordered her to use her attractiveness to manipulate a juror. And she did." His voice and his confidence wavered just a bit on the last three words, as he finally chanced a look at Connie. He could tell immediately, she was not happy.

Then, in an instant, it was over. Mike's challenge to Conway that he was superior to him at commanding loyalty and obedience from others pushed the murderer over the edge. He admitted in court that he had told Carrie to sleep with the juror. Conway's lawyer asked for a sidebar, the judge denied it. Mike gave Conway a look as he simply said, "No more questions."

But as he took his seat, and saw Connie put her hand to her temple, almost as a shield between them, he began to wonder if the risk he had just taken when the thought occurred to him while questioning Conway was really worth it.

 _What have I done?_ he thought.

* * *

When court had adjourned that Friday afternoon, Mike immediately began to try to make amends. Connie brushed his apologies aside. She had already made plans to visit her sister that evening, and now she was very glad. She was beyond frustrated with Mike, and still recovering from a sinus infection from last week, so overall she was just feeling miserable.

 _How could he do that?_ Connie thought angrily as she packed her briefcase. _He knows how much the incident with that juror a few years ago still bothers me. He not only brought it up, but he completely misrepresented what happened. In open court!_ By the time Connie had finished gathering her things, Mike was still in Jack's office. She left without saying goodbye.

* * *

By Sunday, Mike was ready to admit that he was in a full-blown panic. He had not been worried on Friday. Connie had told him earlier in the week that her sister had called and asked her to dinner. He was a little disappointed when he exited Jack's office to find that Connie had already left, but he thought maybe he deserved it. He didn't want to interrupt her evening with her sister, so Mike waited until Saturday to send a good morning text message. His doubts started to creep in an hour later, when Connie finally responded only to tell him that she would be staying with her sister through Sunday to watch her niece and nephew while her sister and brother-in-law went out for a belated Valentine's Day celebration.

The full-blown panic set in late Sunday afternoon. Mike had once again restrained himself from calling Connie, trying to give her some space. The more he thought about what he had said in court, the more he realized what a mistake it was, regardless of the fact that it had led to Conway's conviction. When Mike finally broke down and texted Connie to see if she was home, only to receive a reply that simply said, "Will see you tomorrow at sentencing hearing," he knew he was in trouble. He sat on his couch in his silent apartment staring at the Blackberry in his hand. The worst part of all was that things had been going so well between the two of them. He and Connie had only grown closer, their relationship more serious. He had "survived" meeting her mother and step-father at Christmas in what turned out to be a painless and lovely evening. Connie's mother was warm and inviting and Mike was happy to discover that Connie's step-father was a Yankees fan, too. As they headed back to his apartment after, Connie assured him that they had both been duly impressed by him. Connie had been disappointed when her plans to surprise Mike with a belated birthday/early Valentine's long weekend getaway were thwarted by a mid-January snowstorm. Mike assured her that a weekend with just the two of them snowed in at her apartment was exactly how he wanted to celebrate his birthday. They had spent most of that Saturday in her bed, talking, laughing, and loving each other. Mike had opened up to Connie in ways that he had never opened up to anyone else in his life. And though he had yet to say the words out loud to Connie, he knew that he was in love with her. Truth be told, he was no longer able to imagine a future without her in it, and when he thought about the future with her, it now included all of the things he had always longed for but never dared to hope that he would actually find.

And then Alex Conway happened. Jack was right. He got too competitive, too caught up in going mano a mano. He let his battle of egos with Conway get the best of him. His propensity to do anything to win had taken over, and Mike now feared it might cost him the most important person in his world.

And he had no one to blame but himself.

* * *

The next day, Mike sat in the courtroom, periodically glancing over his shoulder. Finally, he saw what he was looking for as Connie came striding through the gallery, a tight smile on her face when she finally met his eyes as she crossed in front of him, keeping the table between them. She took her seat next to him without a word. Mike had just opened his mouth to speak to her, only to be stopped by the bailiff calling, "All rise!"

The sentencing hearing was quick. Judge Barclay had just pounded his gavel to adjourn the proceedings. Mike stood, looking warily at Connie.

"Good. The right psychopath won," she said quietly as she moved past him.

 _Okay, I deserved that,_ Mike thought silently, before saying, "Listen, Connie, I'm...I'm sorry. I…"

Connie shook her head, holding up her hand. "Listen, I get it. It's okay," she told him without meeting his eyes. "Whatever it takes to win, right?" She had spent a lot of time over the weekend thinking. She knew Mike, probably better than anyone. He was tenacious in court, fought harder than anyone she had ever seen. Part of that, admittedly, had to do with his ego and his thirst to win. But just as much could be contributed to seeking justice and wanting to do the right thing, to right the the wrongs that these cases brought to the world. She decided that she couldn't change that about him, and she wouldn't want to even if she could.

And she decided, that this was one of those downsides of getting involved personally with a coworker. One of those thoughts that had run through her head early on that she had somehow been able to push away and ignore until it showed up to bite her in the ass.

She knew Mike was about to speak again when some commotion from the other side of the courtroom caught their attention. They saw Carrie Newton being pulled away by the court officers. She was proudly displaying her "Alex" tattoo on her chest and proclaiming that she would be there for Conway, no matter where he was.

Connie heard Mike mutter, "Love's a bitch." She rolled her eyes and headed out of the courtroom.

The rest of their workday passed quickly. Connie spent most of the late morning and early afternoon in arraignment court and a pretrial motion hearing. Mike had been called to Rikers to meet with a suspect and his lawyer on one of their other pending cases. When he had not returned by 5:30, Connie decided to head home, this time sending Mike a text to let him know. She'd spent about thirty minutes running on the treadmill in the gym at her building before heading upstairs to shower and scrounge up something for dinner. She had just closed her oven door on some chicken breasts when she heard a knock. She checked the peep hole, not at all surprised by who she saw there.

Mike smiled sheepishly, a bouquet of white tulips in his hand, as she opened the door. They spoke at the same time.

"Hi."

"I'm sorry."

Connie smiled slightly and stepped back, allowing Mike to enter. He held out the flowers. "These are for you," he said quietly.

"Thank you," Connie answered, taking them and heading to the kitchen to find a vase. "Did you use these to bribe someone to let you through the door downstairs?"

Mike draped his coat over the recliner in her living room and shrugged. "Nah, I just snuck in with one of your neighbors." After a beat, he followed her into the kitchen and came up behind her where she stood at the sink, snipping the stems off the flowers before dropping them in the vase. Mike wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry," he whispered in her ear.

Connie closed her eyes and stood quietly in his arms for a few seconds. As angry as she had been with him, she had also missed him. In all of her soul searching over the past few days, there was one feeling, one emotion, that exceeded all of the others. She turned in his arms, placed her palms on his chest and looked him straight in the eyes. There was still one thing she needed to know.

"Why did you do it?" she asked quietly. "I mean, it didn't even happen that way."

Mike closed his eyes and dropped his head, shaking it silently. "I got caught up in trying to get Conway. I lost sight of what was most important because all I could see was a way to win." He looked at her finally. "I promise, it will never happen again.

She smiled, even chuckling a little. "I accept your apology, but don't make promises you can't keep."

Mike held her gaze and with a steely resolve said, "I will never lose sight of what is most important to me again. I promise."

There was a look in his eyes like Connie had never seen before. It thrilled her and frightened her all at the same time. She started to move out of his arms, but Mike held her fast.

"Connie, I love you," he said without blinking. "I have been in love with you for a very long time, and I'm not just telling you this now because I screwed up so badly and want you to forgive me." He pulled her closer, shaking his head. "I am terrible at this, and I will most likely do or say things, thoughtless things that will make you want to kill me. But please don't ever doubt how important you are to me, because I love you."

As he spoke, a smile grew on Connie's face and her eyes filled with tears. Truth be told, she had been falling in love with him little by little since the very beginning. She took his face in her hands and kissed him soundly. "I love you, too," she said, resting her forehead against his as they each caught their breath. "All weekend, as angry as I was - and I was angry Mike - but that was the one thing I kept coming back to. I love you more than I was mad at you." She paused, taking a deep breath and looking deep into his eyes. "Mike I knew when we started this, that it wouldn't always be easy. But we're a pretty good team. We've just got to stick together and trust each other and just...love each other."

Mike gave her his biggest smile as he gently pushed her hair back off her face, caressing her cheeks tenderly with his thumbs. He had felt a jolt go through him at her words. It wasn't the first time he had heard them from a woman. But it was the first time he had truly felt the same emotion in return, the first time he had heard those words and really, truly believed in them. He leaned in and kissed her once more. "Say it again, please," he whispered against her lips.

"I love you," Connie murmured between kisses. "I love you."


	7. Chapter 7

_You guys, this is another chapter in which I seem to have found all the words! There's just so much great stuff in this episode, plus I wanted to add a little twist of my own at the end. ;) I still own nothing, I'm still grateful beyond words to everyone who is reading and reviewing, and I thank you all for hanging with me..._

* * *

Chapter 7 - Innocence

Mike Cutter watched the retreating form of his old mentor as she left his office. Just minutes before, he had been enjoying their normal in-office dinner of take out Chinese with Connie, once again filled with confidence at the prospects for their case. Now, he was filled with dread and had lost his appetite. There were a million thoughts rushing through his head, jumping straight to the worst case scenario. A scenario which could be very, very bad. Connie's voice broke into his thoughts.

"Am I just hearing things, or did she just threaten you?"

Mike turned and read genuine concern on Connie's face. For a split second, he thought about telling her, and just as quickly dismissed it. If she knew his secret it would just put her in a precarious position of her own. So he played it off.

"Nah, that's just standard defense lawyer shtick," he said. "Don't worry about it."

Connie watched him for a long moment as he sat back down, noticing that he never quite met her eyes as he spoke. He seemed distracted as they finished eating and got back to work. The evening stretched on, until finally they got to what seemed as good a place as any to call it a day. As they left the building and neared Connie's subway stop, she paused on the sidewalk and finally asked him, "Are you sure you're okay?"

Mike tried to smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Yeah, just….headache," he said evasively.

Connie smiled at him. "Go home, take some Ibuprofen, and get some sleep," she told him, "please?"

He finally gave her a genuine smile. "I'll try," he whispered. Connie took his arm as they continued on toward her subway stop. Mike left her there with a gentle kiss and a whispered, "I love you," both of which Connie returned in kind. He watched as she descended the stairs that would take her to her train. And then he did something that he had not done in months.

He went back to the office, alone.

* * *

Finally, something was going their way. Judge Braden had granted their motion for the academic records for the students who worked for Emily Ryan. Mike and Connie had spent the morning pouring over them. There was definitely a pattern, as Mike had expected. He was presenting his theory to Jack.

"There's pressure on these kids to overturn convictions. And her tacit reward system, it - it fosters a culture of over-zealousness," Mike told Jack and Connie. "And - and Emily, she finds the way in."

Jack looked at him kindly. "I assume you're speaking from experience."

"Yeah," Mike said with a sigh. "She knew I had nowhere to go for the holidays, and she used to invite me to her house for Thanksgiving with her husband, and Christmas dinner, and I would have run into bullets for her!"

"And this is how you repay her kindness?" Jack asked. Connie watched the interaction between the two men. She knew Jack's question was meant to make Mike pause, to stop and think for a moment. This case had been like a roller coaster ride for Mike. She had watched his confidence rise and fall. And although he seemed to be back on track, Connie couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else going on, that Mike was hiding something. She listened as Mike continued to present his evidence about the four students who were working on the Stuber case, and the letters of recommendation they had received.

"And you're planning on introducing all of this at Stuber's new trial?" Connie asked.

"Forget the retrial!" Mike said ardently. "We'll move for a hearing to see how far Ryan's students went to manufacture a wrongful conviction here. Judge Braden can reinstate the jury verdict."

Jack nodded his approval. "Get to work on it," he said, then left them alone as he returned to his own office.

Mike let out a deep breath he had not realized he was holding. He had felt a little bit like he'd been holding his breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop, since Emily Ryan came on the scene. He knew Connie could tell there was something more than just the frustration of this case weighing on him. He felt Connie come up behind him, speaking quietly in his ear.

"I'll go get started on the motion paperwork," she said, then continued in a whisper, "and Mike, from now on you will always have somewhere to go for Thanksgiving and Christmas." She squeezed his shoulder as she made her way past him. A feeling of warmth shot through him, her words and the feeling behind them easing a fair amount of his tension.

"Connie," he called after her. She turned in the doorway as he continued, "thanks."

She just smiled at him with a nod before heading to her own desk to start writing their motion. Mike watched her go, once again thanking God, the universe, and anyone else who'd had a hand in bringing her into his life.

* * *

All of the confidence that Mike had felt two days ago had deserted him. It started the moment Emily Ryan announced in open court that he was not a real lawyer. It continued when he'd had to explain to Jack and Connie how he had failed to actually secure his undergraduate degree before he started law school, and had failed to rectify this mistake at any point since then. It was only made worse later that night when Connie had pressed him and he'd confessed that his three colleges in four years was his attempt to distance himself from his father, who had decided to suddenly reappear in his life, and his mother, with whom he'd had a falling out over his "lack of direction" in his studies. It was not a time in his life that he really ever wanted to talk about, so it didn't take long for his irritation to bleed through in their conversation. Connie knew he wasn't really upset with her. He had apologized for being such poor company when she headed home early. She told him not to worry, that she wasn't great company herself as she hadn't been feeling well most of the day anyway.

The last shreds of his tenacity slipped away as he sat in Judge Braden's chambers. The judge's words, "Mr. Cutter, I am very disappointed in this turn of events," were an echo of his mother from long ago.

Which is why he had promptly disappeared to a local bar. He thought he had chosen carefully enough that Connie wouldn't find him. He should have known better. He glanced up as she sat down next to him.

"How many have you had?" she asked.

"This is four and two,"Mike said, tapping in turn the rims of the shot glass of whiskey and the tall glass of beer in front of him.

"Mike," Connie said on a sigh.

Trying to change the subject, Mike waved down the bartender. "Let me get you something," he said to Connie.

"Ginger ale," she told the bartender.

Mike looked at her quizzically, then shrugged it off, deciding that maybe it was a good idea for one of them to be sober and knowing that ship had long since sailed for him. "How'd you find me?" he asked instead.

"You brought me here once last fall when we were working on the appeals," she told him. "You told me it was your favorite bar to disappear in."

Mike nodded, taking another swallow of his beer. "Nothing like having yourself exposed as a monumental screw up by your old mentor, in front of a judge, your current mentor, and your girlfriend," he said, giving her a sardonic smile. "So I thought I'd drink a little."

Connie leaned closer to him with her elbow on the bar. "You were 21. You made a mistake."

"I just raked a law student over the coals for having poor judgement," he said, downing the shot of whiskey in front of him.

 _Time for some hard truth,_ Connie thought. "Well, maybe you should never have gone after the clinic," she told him matter of factly.

The whiskey burned his throat as he swallowed. He dropped the glass on the bar and turned to her. "I didn't have a choice," he argued. "Their witness was lying."

"And you had a chance to show up your mentor," Connie challenged.

"That had nothing to do with it." Mike protested.

"Really?" Connie said, giving him a disbelieving look. "Mike."

Mike stared at her for a heartbeat. For just a moment, he had forgotten that he was talking to the person who knew him better than anyone else. A new wave of despair washed over him. When would he learn to keep his ego in check? "Jack's gonna fire me," he said, looking back down at the bar.

"You're being paranoid," Connie tried to soothe, resting her elbow on the bar once again.

"I'd fire me," Mike said. "Who knows if they'll let me keep my license."

Connie watched him as his eyes fixed on the empty shot glass that he was turning in circles on the bar. He looked lost, and she knew she needed to get him out of there before he spiraled downward even further. She took the glass from his hand, moving it away as she reached for her purse. She dropped some bills on the bar, then took his arm. "Come on," she said. "Time to go."

Mike showed no resistance as Connie led him out of the bar and got them a cab. Once she had helped him stumble into the backseat, she gave the driver her address. That last shot of whiskey was beginning to hit him hard. Mike leaned his forehead on her shoulder. "I'm sorry Connie," he said. "I'm sorry I'm such a damn screw up and I'm sorry I'm not a real damn lawyer, and I'm sorry I don't even have a damn college degree." He didn't look up as he continued. "And I'm really sorry I kept all this a secret from you. I'm such an ass."

She turned and kissed his forehead. "You're not a screw up or an ass," she told him. "And as for everything else, we'll figure it out."

They made it to her building and Connie was successful in getting Mike upstairs and to her bed before he passed out. Connie watched him for a moment. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry as she thought about Mike's drunken apology, especially the part about keeping things a secret.

Truth be told, Connie had begun to suspect earlier in the week that she may have a secret that would blow his out of the water, and change both of their lives.

* * *

Mike awoke the next morning with the mother of all hangovers. He laid still for a moment, afraid to open his eyes and inflict more pain on his already pounding head. Finally, he reluctantly eased his eyes open. It took him only a moment to register that he was in Connie's bed instead of his own. He vaguely remembered waking up at one point in the middle of the night and wrapping his arms around Connie to pull her close before going right back to sleep. The events from the day before came rushing back. Mike closed his eyes again with a groan, realizing it wasn't all a bad dream. He laid there for a few more minutes before he gingerly eased out of bed and headed to the bathroom, then followed the scent of coffee towards the kitchen.

He found Connie at her kitchen table, her hair pulled back out of her face with a clip, drinking a glass of milk and reading the Saturday morning paper, a half eaten piece of plain toast next to her. Mike shuffled toward her, eyes squinting against the light, and ran a hand through his hair.

Connie looked up with a smile. "Michael Cutter, as I live and breathe," she teased.

He gave her a tight smile as he sat down across from her. "Coffee?" he asked pleadingly.

Connie shook her head. "Nope," she said, crossing to the sink and filling a glass with water. She then brought the glass and two small pills back to him. "Water and Advil first, then coffee. You'll thank me later," she told him.

Mike grimaced, but did as he was told, draining the glass. Connie kissed him on top of the head, then took the empty glass, replacing it with a mug of black coffee. Mike took a long drink, then placed the mug back on the table to reach out and grab Connie around the waist as she moved past him. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to stand between his knees and laying his head on her chest. "I'm beginning to lose count of the number of times I've said this to you lately, but I'm sorry about last night," he said quietly.

Connie smiled, running one hand across his back and the other through his hair. "Under the same circumstances, I think I would have done exactly what you did." She took a step back so he could look up at her. Mike kept his hands around her waist and Connie kept her hands on his shoulders. "We'll get this figured out, okay?"

Mike simply nodded. He then stood up and took her in his arms. "Thank you," he whispered into her hair.

* * *

Mike sat on his couch, his head leaned back and his eyes closed. What a complicated couple of weeks this had turned into, especially the past two days. The beginning of the end of the ordeal with Emily Ryan started with Jack directing him to make a plea deal with Cedric Stuber. Mike was incensed, but when Jack essentially told him make the deal or start looking for another job, he acquiesced. The meeting with Stuber and Emily Ryan at Rikers started off with Stuber taunting Mike about whether or not he could even make a deal since he wasn't a real lawyer. Connie immediately jumped to Mike's defense and cut Stuber off, which led to him slinging a racial slur at her. And that was all it took to push Mike over the edge. He was infuriated by what Stuber had said to Connie, and he snapped. The anger, rage, and anxiety that had been simmering within him for the past several days finally bubbled to the surface. He went off on Stuber, getting right in his face and telling him that he would make sure he died in prison. When it was all said and done, Stuber took their deal for 25 to life, rather than face a possible conviction for a hate crime that could lead to back to back life sentences. Connie put a hand on Mike's arm to pull him out of the room. They wordlessly left the correctional facility, Mike driving them back to the office. Connie could see him clenching his jaw tightly, still trying to get his anger under control. They made it to the bridge before Connie finally broke the silence.

"Are you okay?"

Mike let out a deep breath. "How many times have you asked me that lately?"

"Well, you're having a little bit of a week," Connie replied.

"When he opened his mouth and said...that to you," Mike shrugged, glancing at her quickly before his eyes returned to the road. "I know you don't need me to defend you, but it just pushed me over the edge. I'm not going to let anyone talk to you, disrespect you, like that, especially someone like Stuber." He let out a sigh, then added quietly, "I've just had it with this whole situation."

She reached over and placed her left hand on his knee. "We're done with Cedric Stuber and Emily Ryan," she told him.

"Yeah," Mike said. "But I'm not out of the woods yet."

Which was true, but thankfully he didn't have to wait too long to learn his fate. He received word the following day. He would be reprimanded by the Bar Overseers, and a notice would be going into the law journal, but that was as far as it would go. All of the worry, all of the worst case scenarios that had been playing out in his head for the past week, he could now let it all go.

Mike was jarred out of his thoughts by his buzzer sounding. Frowning, he went over and pushed the button, pleasantly surprised to find that it was Connie. He opened the door and waited for her to arrive from downstairs, swooping in to kiss her soundly before she even got through the door. Connie reveled in it for a few seconds, then gently pushed him away.

"We need to talk," she said.

 _Uh oh,_ Mike thought. _Nothing good comes from a sentence that starts with those words._ He ushered her on in to his apartment, noticing that she seemed upset and nervous. He offered to take her coat, get her a drink, and tried to get her to take a seat with him on the couch, all of which she refused. She was pacing back and forth across the room, a small bag in her hands. Finally, Mike stood in her path and grabbed her elbows, stopping her momentum. "Connie," he asked with concern, "what's wrong?"

Connie looked in his eyes. God, she loved him, but this...this was going to change everything. She pulled away from him, walking over to the couch, knowing he would follow. Once they were both seated and facing each other, Connie chose her words carefully. "Do you remember, back when we first started….us?" she looked at him. "You said this could get complicated?" She paused, and then withdrew a small box from the bag she had been carrying and handed it to him. "I think it's about to get complicated."

Mike looked down at the box he now held in his hands.

It was a pregnancy test.

* * *

 _Cliffhanger! Cue maniacal laugh! Muahahaha! Don't worry - I won't leave you hanging too long!_


	8. Chapter 8

_Are we really having a baby? Time to find out!_

* * *

Chapter 8 - Four Cops Shot

Mike Cutter sat anxiously on the foot of his bed. He studied his hands, turning every few seconds to look over at the closed bathroom door across the hall. He thought back over the conversation he'd had earlier with Connie, right after she had dropped her head as she'd handed him the box containing a pregnancy test. He had just stared at it for a long moment in a daze. He was finally able to recover enough to meet her eyes, only to see that they were filled with tears. He could tell she was afraid, and even though he was feeling completely shocked and totally off balance, he did the only thing he could think of - he sat the box aside, pulled her close, and held her tightly in the circle of his arms. When Connie was finally able to speak, she told Mike of her suspicions. First, she had been suffering from some mild nausea off and on for the past week or so. Second, she remembered the sinus infection she'd had about a month and a half ago, and the antibiotics she'd been on to treat it. Finally, her period was late, something that, her whole life, had always come like clockwork. So she had bought the test.

Though Mike's thoughts were racing a mile a minute, he had tried his best to ease her worries. It took him a moment to gather himself, and he stumbled over the words as he told her they would approach this one step at a time, and the first step was to take the test. She had gone into his bathroom and closed the door behind her. The dazed feeling descended on him again as he wandered into his bedroom and sank down on the bed, contemplating how completely his life could change in the next few minutes.

 _A baby!_

Until a few months ago, something like this was completely outside the realm of possibility for Mike Cutter. He was, on one hand, totally dedicated to his job, and on the other hand absolutely head over heels in love with his colleague. Unfortunately, at that point, said colleague had no idea how he felt.

And then everything changed. As he and Connie had grown closer over the past several months, he'd be lying if he said that the idea of a life with her, a future, a family, hadn't at least started to cross his mind. It was still a vague dream, as it was something he had all but concluded was just not in the cards for him. So it was difficult for him to imagine all of the details, but it was no longer nearly as elusive as it had once been.

Yet at the same time, there was growing fear in the pit of his stomach. What the hell did he know about being a father? He had certainly had no role model for the job from his own dad. Part of the time, and especially early on in their relationship, Mike operated from the assumption that at any moment, Connie would wake up to the fact that he was woefully inadequate when it came to personal attachments. Now, they may have created a child together, something that would keep them joined together for the rest of their lives. How could he possibly do anything but let them both down?

He was jarred out of his thoughts by the bathroom door opening. Connie, her eyes fixed on the floor, crossed over to sit next to him. She handed him the plastic test stick then flopped back on the bed, placing her forearm over her eyes.

Mike looked at the digital display. He saw the single word, "Pregnant," and found it difficult to describe the rush of different emotions that coursed through him. He took a deep breath to try to calm his racing thoughts and looked back at Connie. He saw tears running down her cheeks. Mike laid down next to her, turning on his side to face her, and gently wiped her tears away.

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice breaking. "It was the antibiotics, it had to be. They messed up my birth control, but we were so busy right around then that I didn't even think of it. I can't believe I was so stupid."

"Apparently, we really did get busy," Mike quipped. When Connie just gave a strangled groan Mike reached out to take her hand. "Hey," he said, lacing his fingers through hers and moving their hands away so that he could see her face. He certainly wasn't going to let her take all the responsibility for this on herself. He waited for her to finally meet his gaze and then said, "It's okay. We're okay. I'm fairly certain this took both of us." Mike squeezed her hand. "What was it you told me just a few days ago? We will figure this out."

Connie met his eyes. From the moment she had looked at the test result, her simmering anxiety had rushed headlong into a full blown panic. Truth be told, she wanted nothing more than to be deliriously happy about this turn of events. She had always wanted children, had dreamed of being a mother. But the timing couldn't be any less ideal. And what about Mike? They had barely been together for five months. They'd never talked about this. She knew he had not grown up in anything remotely resembling an ideal family environment. Did he even want to be a father? How would he handle this? It was all too much, too soon. Her greatest fear from the moment she suspected she might be pregnant was that Mike would feel trapped, would grow to resent her and their child. And then she would lose him.

But as she gazed into his clear, blue eyes and listened to his gentle words, as she felt the strength of his fingers interlocked with hers, she thought of how well she had learned to read him over the past few years, and certainly the past few months. She could tell that he was just as worried and anxious about this turn of events as she was. But underneath all that, was something else - joy. Pure joy. She took it in and began to let it fill her own heart as well, pushing all other emotions away, at least for this one tiny moment. "Together?" she asked him hesitantly.

Mike immediately propped himself up on an elbow and leaned down to kiss her. "Together," he confirmed against her lips. "Always together." He let the kiss go on for several seconds before he pulled away. Mike placed his free hand on her still-flat stomach and smiled beatifically. "We're having a baby," he said with wonder in his voice.

Connie placed her hands on top of his, returning his smile, the first real smile that had crossed her face all day. "We're having a baby," she echoed.

* * *

Though they both knew there were so many things to consider and decisions to be made, after the initial shock wore off Mike and Connie had spent the rest of that evening in a state of ethereal bliss. Once Connie had been reassured that Mike was not going to run away in a panic at the prospect of her pregnancy, she was able to fully embrace her happiness. It was a Thursday evening, so she called her doctor first thing the following morning, but was not able to be seen until Monday. At the appointment her pregnancy was confirmed. Mike was slightly disappointed that he had to appear in court that morning and had not been able to join her. For the time being, they purposely avoided some of the more realistic issues that they knew they would need to address: telling Connie's family and, she insisted, Mike's mother. Telling Jack. How would this affect things at work? Where were they going to live? The rumor mill that was sure to begin churning as soon as Connie started showing. Connie seemed to be concerned about this last aspect the most, but they decided together that they had time, that it would be best to wait a couple more months to share their news until they absolutely had to. Mike knew he would have to keep his behavior in check, especially at the office. Though he tried not to, he became increasingly protective of Connie. Especially after he'd made a stop at a Barnes and Noble bookstore one afternoon on his way back from a lunch meeting and came away with four different books on pregnancy. Only one was mostly for Connie, the old standby, _What To Expect When You're Expecting._ The other three were specifically geared toward dads - _The Expectant Father, Be Prepared: A Practical Guide for New Dads, and Dude! You're Going To Be a Dad!_ Connie just laughed at him indulgently later that evening as he poured over the books while he tried to rationalize his purchases to her. "This is what I do Connie. Study and prepare. Surely you've figured that out about me by now."

Things at work got very busy as four police officers were shot and killed at a local pizzeria. There was much angst in how to proceed with the case. Bernard, Lupo, and the deceased officers' chief wanted to turn the case over to the US attorney's office so that the death penalty could be pursued. Mike didn't completely disagree with them, but as they continued their investigations things weren't so cut and dry. Mike and Connie had gone to talk to the suspect's mother, and Michael Cutter, "Cut-throat" Cutter, found himself trying to control a completely inappropriate for the situation, but sappy grin as Calvin Stokes's mother was trying to justify helping her son when she looked back and forth between Mike and Connie asking them what they would have done in her place. "He's my child. Don't you understand? Do you have children?" she had asked. Mike had only been able to barely glance at Connie with the beginnings of that goofy smile before the detectives had interrupted to arrest Mrs. Martin and all hell had broken loose.

Mike's over-protectiveness started to rear it's head later at Rikers when Connie suggested that she question Mrs. Martin. He had initially nodded his head after she had told him, Lupo, and Bernard, "You know what, you guys are fun, but I think I should talk to her alone." The three men turned to go, but Mike stopped, waiting for the detectives to exit before he turned back to Connie.

"You'll be careful?" he said quietly.

Connie, who could have been irritated by this, simply smiled. "Of course Mike. The cameras will be watching everything, the CO will be right outside, and I hardly think I'm dealing with a hardened criminal here. Everything will be fine."

And it was. The case went to trial. There was some annoyance from Mike towards Detective Bernard after his testimony, when Mike felt he had been less than truthful. Finally they were able to secure a murder conviction against Calvin Stokes on all counts. As they were leaving the courthouse together, Connie relayed the probable sentencing outcomes to Lupo and Bernard. "Best case, he gets four life sentences. Worst case, he gets four consecutive 25s."

"If the Feds still want him, they can have him in a hundred years," Mike added.

"Well, if I'm still around, I'll testify," Bernard commented.

As they walked down the steps, Lupo felt his phone buzz in his coat pocket. He looked down to read the text message that had just arrived. "It's Van Buren," he said, looking at his partner. "We caught a fresh one." They both nodded at the lawyers as the started down the steps. They had just made it to the sidewalk when they heard Mike's voice behind them.

"Detectives?" he called out to them. They both stopped and turned back to face them. "Be safe," he finished.

Lupo and Bernard both nodded with small smiles before continuing on their way. Mike looked back at Connie, noting the pleased smile on her face. "What?' he asked.

She just shook her head, "You're becoming a big softie," she said as they continued down the steps. Mike looked over at her sheepishly. "Don't worry," she told him, nudging him with her shoulder, "I like it." She leaned in closer so no one else passing by on the sidewalk would overhear. "It's actually very sexy," she said quietly.

Mike just laughed. Connie joined him as they made their way back to their office.

* * *

 _Okay, so not a whole lot of "episode" content in this one, and it took a while to get there, but I wanted to wrap up the cliffhanger from last chapter. And truth be told (see what I did there!), the look that Mike has on his face when the mother asks if they have children was a major catalyst for me for this whole story really, so I had to get it in here somehow. I hope you enjoyed reading! Stay tuned - I'm not done with them yet!_


	9. Chapter 9

_Another one of my favorite episodes in which I always just want to give Mike Cutter a big 'ol hug._

* * *

 _Chapter 9 - Brazil_

The door to the New York County Family Court building banged open from the force of one enraged Mike Cutter coming through it. Jaw clenched tightly, he stalked down the sidewalk, heading without really thinking about it back towards the District Attorney's office. Connie emerged just steps behind him. She could see Mike's anger rising as he was questioned by Phillip Shoemaker's lawyer about his parent's divorce and the strained relationship with his father. He had practically knocked the chair over when the judge had finally given him permission to step down. None of the information that Mike had been forced to share in court was a revelation to Connie. It had taken some time, but she had, little by little, become successful at pushing through the metaphorical walls of Michael Cutter. However, knowing the amount of time and effort and trust that it had taken, Connie also knew that speaking about it all in open court would be the last thing Mike would ever want to do. She caught up with him as he abruptly stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. Mike glanced down at his watch, noting it was after 5 pm. He ran a hand through his hair, letting out a breath.

"You should head on home," he told her. "I'm going to start working on this latest motion. I'm probably not going to be great company tonight anyway."

Connie knew he needed some space, but at the same time she knew what might happen if she gave him too much space. He was hurting right now, whether he wanted to admit it or not. And she wanted to help him.

"How about we go to your place, work on the motion together, and get something to eat? Otherwise you'll just start worrying later about what the Sweet Pea and I had for dinner anyway."

Mike was actually able to produce a small smile at her words. He had been reading in one of the books he had bought about the comparable size of the baby at each stage of pregnancy, and Mike had adopted the curious habit, Connie thought, of referring to their baby as each item. Last week it was "Appleseed," this week "Sweet Pea." She had laughed at him indulgently, saying it wouldn't sound nearly as cute when he was calling the baby "Head of Lettuce" or "Eggplant," but secretly she found his behavior beyond endearing.

They made their way to Mike's apartment. He was quiet through their dinner of leftover spaghetti from the weekend, and he was all business as they began to formulate an argument against Shoemaker's motion. After they finished, Connie was able to coax Mike into the shower with her, which prompted him to then lead her to his bed. They lay there nestled together under the blankets after, catching their breath. Connie rested her head on Mike's chest, listening to his heart beat as he ran his hand gently over her naked back, holding her close.

"Did I ever tell you that my father took me to my first baseball game?" Mike asked quietly.

"No," Connie said. She had known she would gain nothing by pushing him, but if she gave him time and space, eventually he would be ready to talk to her. "Yankees?" she asked.

Mike chuckled. "Nah, he was a Mets fan. My Uncle Charlie always said the real reason I became a Yankees fan was to piss off my old man."

Connie waited silently for him to continue. "It was July, not long after the fourth. They were playing the San Francisco Giants. He'd gotten the tickets just the day before from someone at work. He could have afforded season tickets, but it never occurred to him to spend money on something that might be fun for us to do together as family. We had been in the city for a couple of years at that point. It was probably the longest stretch we had stayed in one place while I was growing up before he left." Mike paused, and Connie saw a smile cross his face. "I was so excited to be there with him. It was really the first time we had ever done anything like that, just the two of us. I was seven years old. We walked into Shea Stadium and...I'd never seen anything like it. It was so beautiful." Mike took his free hand and threaded his fingers through Connie's where they rested on his chest. "He ran around on my mother, lots of other women. But he did get remarried later," Mike said quietly after a long moment. "That's why he tried to contact me, when I was in college." He just studied Connie's hand in silence before he continued. "He wanted me to meet them, his family. He had more kids. I could never figure out why that family, those kids, were worth showing up for, but I wasn't."

Connie propped herself up on an elbow so she could look in his eyes at this revelation that he had step-siblings. By day he presented such a strong, unflappable, even arrogant front to the world. Like he was bulletproof. Like nothing could hurt him. Connie knew, though he hid it well, his father's abandonment had hurt him deeply and was a wound he still carried with him. "Oh, Mike," she soothed, squeezing his hand.

"I did finally meet them, at the funeral," he continued. "The way they talked about him…" he trailed off. "I never knew that man. He wasn't that father to me, and I've never been able to work that out. That son of a bitch obviously had it in him to be a father. Just not mine."

Mike turned onto his side then, so that he and Connie were facing one another. "What if I turn out just like him?" he asked her in a whisper.

Connie began shaking her head before he had even finished the question. She reached out to place a gentle hand on his cheek. "That is not going to happen," she whispered resolutely. "It's not possible."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know you, and I know you won't let it," she said simply. "And I won't let it either. We're in this together, remember?"

Mike turned his head to kiss her palm, then leaned forward and kissed her lips, hoping she was right. As surreal as it still seemed at times, he had a family now. He would do everything in his power to keep them together.

* * *

Mike woke the next morning after a restless night's sleep. He had resorted to relocating to his couch around 4am because he did not want to risk waking Connie with his tossing and turning. He knew she woke most mornings before her alarm as of late, spending the first part of her day either lying perfectly still or, when she was not able to win the battle against the nausea, in the bathroom. She had even had to excuse herself from a staff meeting one morning at work and a briefing meeting with Jack the next. Mike knew from all of his reading that the morning sickness was normal, and he tried his best not to hover. But he hated to see Connie feeling so miserable, even though he knew it passed relatively quickly. He would stand by quietly with a cup of cold water and her toothbrush on the mornings they were together at one of their apartments. She had discovered that ginger especially helped, so Mike had bought a couple of bags of hard candies that Connie kept stashed in her desk and her bag. At work, he would offer a whispered, "Are you all right?" when she returned from the ladies room, but he wished he could do more. He was so thankful for her and the way she had taken care of him, especially with all of the memories of his father that this case was bringing to the surface. He was determined to take care of her in just the same way. He thought about their drive to Locust Point, to Nicole Shoemaker's grandparents' home when everyone feared the little girl was lost in the Long Island Sound. Connie had been uncharacteristically quiet. She confessed to Mike that she was overcome with worry for the little girl, and couldn't help but think about how terrifying it would be for their child to go missing. Seeing her upset, Mike was once again filled with the same feeling he'd had the night after he had been forced to testify in family court, after he had told Connie about his father going out and creating a new family years after leaving him and his mother. That feeling was a need to protect Connie, protect his family. He wasn't completely sure if it was coming from a place of male pride or the fear of repeating the same mistakes his own father made, but the need to cement their family, to take care of Connie and their baby, was constantly on his mind. He thought about the conversation he'd had with the family court judge, about kids being resilient, being able to "muddle through" without a stable family life. Then telling her with naked honestly that some wounds just don't heal. He was adamant that he would never inflict such a wound on his child the way he himself had been hurt. And while he was acutely aware of the fact that he needed Connie much more than she needed him, Mike tried to take care of her in big ways and small ways, without being overbearing or over protective. He walked into the office the morning after the boat fiasco to find her already at her desk hard at work. She had spent the previous night at her own place after meeting her mother for dinner. He had missed her, even though they had spoken on the phone after she got home.

"Good morning," Mike said as he neared her desk.

Connie was all business, a sign that the nausea was still hanging around this morning. "The Lehman's are moving for sole custody of Nicole. They want Dana declared an unfit parent."

Mike frowned. "That's a pretty extreme reaction to an eight year old being an eight year old," he said, setting the cup and newspaper in his hands down on her desk.

"Yeah, well, if you think that's extreme, They're even kicking Dana out of their house," Connie said. "She's in lock-down at an airport hotel.

"They also claim Oscar Silva's an unfit guardian because of his health." Mike continued as he looked over the papers Connie had given him.

"Just covering their bases," Connie said with thinly veiled contempt.

"Well, I'll say," Mike said, then paused. "They attached that Brazilian medical record about Silva's aneurysm. At the top of the page here, is the fax number the medical record was faxed from to the Lehman's. That's New Jersey, isn't it?" Mike asked.

Connie peered at the number for a moment, then typed it into her computer. "It's a fax number registered to Shoemaker's college. He's sharing information with his ex-in-laws?" Mike and Connie shared a look. "They were in it together," she said.

"I'm gonna see if Jack's in yet," Mike said, grabbing the newspaper and turning toward his office.

"Mike," Connie called after him. He turned back and looked at her with eyebrows raised in question. "You forgot your coffee," Connie said, pointing to the cup still sitting on her desk.

Mike offered her a small smile, shaking his head as he leaned closer to her. "It's for you," he said quietly, "ginger tea." He gave her a surreptitious wink before he turned once again to head to his office. Connie watched him for a long moment, a smile blooming on her face, before picking up her phone.

Mike had made it to his office. He had just finished laying his briefcase down and shedding his coat when his phone trilled. He was a little surprised to see that it was a text from Connie. His surprise turned to delight as he read her message:

" _thx for the tea and for always taking care of me. i love you."_

* * *

"Two guilty pleas," Jack said questioningly, rounding his desk toward where Mike stood in front of it. Connie was stationed in the doorway. They had arrived from the courthouse to report to Jack on the outcome of the case. "You look like someone ran over your dog."

"Well, I won, but Nicole Shoemaker lost," Mike said with a sigh. "She'll grow up with a father and grandfather in prison, under the care of a mom whose selfishness set this whole tragedy in motion."

"That's why I never went into family law," Connie observed, "That's where all the heartbreak is."

Jack regarded them both for a moment. There was a time, when Mike had first started working for him, when Jack had accused him of being so focused on getting a win that he rarely took time to count the cost. Jack knew, Mike still liked to win, but he was a different man now, Jack thought. Chief among the things that had brought about these changes was his relationship with the woman leaning her head against the door frame, looking at Mike with compassionate eyes. Mike was no longer all brains and no heart when approaching his cases, and Jack thought he was an even better prosecutor because of it, although it sometimes made the job even harder.

"Heartbreak is everywhere in this job," Jack said, looking from Connie to Mike, "as you both know." He moved toward Mike, placing a hand on his back. "Take consolation in getting the right result. It's a good day's work."

Mike smiled sadly. "Yep, but not a good day." He smiled at Jack then turned to head back to his own office, watching Connie in front of him as she went to gather her things. This had been a difficult case for both of them. Mike remembered the stricken look on Connie's face as they had watched the news coverage about a missing Nicole Shoemaker. That it all turned out to be an elaborate hoax perpetrated by the Lehman's seemed to fit right in with the circus that this family had become.

Mike pulled on his coat, wrapped his scarf around his neck, and picked up his briefcase. He turned off the lights in his office, then made his way toward Connie's desk. "Ready to go?" he asked, then trying to lighten her mood, he leaned close to her and added with a whisper, "The blueberry's gotta eat."

Connie finished buttoning her coat with a soft smile. "It's not quite a blueberry yet," she told him. They made their way out of the building and into the early twilight of the evening. It was a clear night that was clinging to the remnants of winter's chilliness, despite the fact that the calendar said spring would be arriving soon. They walked along quietly, both lost in their own thoughts,

"What a complete train wreck of a family they turned out to be," Connie remarked, breaking their shared silence. "I mean, I know they all truly thought they had that little girl's best interest at heart, but all that they succeeded in doing is tearing her family apart."

Mike didn't answer. He had been doing quite a bit of thinking over the past week during this case. Thinking about families being torn apart, keeping families together, and kids without fathers. He thought of Phillip Shoemaker basically disowning his daughter in court. He thought of his own father who had all but abandoned him at 10 years old. He had come to a clear conclusion. Mike seized Connie's arm to stop her. He looked into her eyes, took a deep breath and said quickly, "I think we should get married."

* * *

 _Yet another cliffhanger….I do apologize! ;) I have always seen Mike as a character who, since he had a strained relationship with his family, would really crave that kind of stability that having a family could offer. I think he would do anything to take care of the people he loves, but he also has a tendency to act before he thinks at times._

 _What do you think Connie will make of this "proposal?"_


	10. Chapter 10

_For those of you who read last week's chapter and thought, "Whoa there Mike Cutter!" - I agree with you 100%! Let's see what Connie has to say about all of this, shall we? :)_

* * *

 _Chapter 10 - Crashers_

Connie Rubirosa took a bite out of the Salted Caramel Chocolate Pretzel ice cream cone in her hand and glanced over at the man by her side. Mike stuck the spoon into his cup of maple walnut ice cream, and seemingly without thinking, reached out to take her hand as they crossed Central Park West. It was the first early spring day that actually felt like spring. The sun was shining in a brilliant blue sky, which just made the greens of Central Park seem to beckon to Connie that much more. She definitely had a touch of spring fever, which is why she had convinced Mike that a walk through the park was just what they needed on this late Sunday afternoon. She argued that knowing the way New York weather could be, she would most likely be back in her wool coat and knit hat by this time next week, so they should take advantage of the opportunity to be out in the sunshine in nothing heavier than jeans and sweatshirts while they could.

It was Mike who suggested a stop at Emack and Bolio's for ice cream before they headed on into the park. Connie agreed immediately. She was still dealing with a bit of mild nausea, but her "morning sickness" seemed to be truly limited to the morning at this point in her pregnancy. She had yet to experience any real cravings, but Connie was never one to turn down ice cream.

"Want a bite?" she asked Mike, holding out her cone as they entered the park.

Mike wrinkled his nose a little. "Too much going on there, thanks anyway," he said, shaking his head.

Connie shrugged. "Your loss," she smiled as they continued to walk until they found a bench along the path and took a seat. The Arthur Ross Pinetum was probably Connie's most favorite place in the entire park. With seventeen different species of pine trees it was one of the most picturesque and peaceful areas in all of Central Park. When she would jog through the park, Connie always made sure to finish near this area to take advantage of the cool shade created by the trees for her recovery time.

Connie watched as Mike finished his ice cream, leaving their bench to deposit the cup in a nearby trash can. She thought back to his impromptu marriage proposal - if you can call grabbing her arm in the middle of a busy sidewalk and blurting out, "I think we should get married!" a proposal. Connie had just looked at him, wanting to laugh, because surely he had to be kidding. But in the split second that she took to really look in his eyes, she saw a mix of emotions that stopped her cold. He looked anxious, almost panicked. Connie simply stared at him for a second, her mouth hanging open slightly, before she turned and continued on her way to the subway. She would rather say nothing for the moment than say the wrong thing. Mike followed quickly, but they soon just became part of the crowd. The train was too noisy and too crowded for them to talk, and Connie was glad. She was able to find a seat, but Mike had to settle for standing next to her, hanging on to the bar to keep his balance with the starting and stopping of the train.

Connie had tried to organize the myriad of thoughts and feelings coursing through her - surprise, fear, anger, excitement. _Where is this coming from?_ she thought. Though they had not talked specifics about the future, she thought they were on the same page about it. They were together. They would raise this child together. So why, now, did Mike come out with what seemed like an almost desperate plea for her to marry him?

The subway train finally came to their stop, and they made the short walk to Connie's building side by side, but in silence. When they were finally alone in her apartment, the door locked safely behind them, Connie turned to Mike with an arched eyebrow. "Explain please."

Mike's shoulders slumped. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew it was a mistake. What had he been thinking, just saying it in the middle of the street like that? The plight of little Nicole Shoemaker had made him even more aware of how important it is for a kid to have two parents who love her. But marriage between those parents couldn't always be a guarantee that a family would stay together. He knew that only too well. It hadn't kept Mike's family together growing up. Or Connie's family for that matter.

Mike looked at her, trying to come up with the words to explain what he was feeling. Truth be told, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Connie. But he also knew, that when he had blurted those words out earlier, that's not the place they were coming from. Mike remembered that Connie had once said that she knew their relationship wouldn't always be easy, but they had to trust each other. So he sat down with her, trusting that in sharing his convoluted thoughts with her, he could make her understand what he was feeling. He told her about his fears of becoming a no-account dad like his own father, how he wanted to make absolutely sure that their child knew it was loved by two parents who also loved each other. And that he wanted to take care of her and do right by her and their child. He was worried about what her family would think when they found out he'd gotten her pregnant. Connie reminded him of his own words, "I'm fairly certain this took both of us." She argued that while she wasn't opposed to the idea of marrying him, so much in their lives had changed so quickly, that they needed to take a moment to just breathe and get their bearings. She told him it was his timing here that she didn't like, that she was afraid that his proposal had more to do with his own fears than with his love for her. He countered by expressing that love in the strongest, most convincing language he could. She assured him that she loved him just as much, that she wasn't going anywhere, and that this baby would know without question how much it was loved.

And she told him, that when they decided to get married, it should be just about them and no one else, not even their child.

As Mike made his way back to where Connie was finishing her own ice cream, his eyes wandered to the nearby playground. This particular play area was one of the smallest in the park, and as such wasn't very busy. Mike's eyes were drawn to a man pushing a little girl in the swings, listening as the little beauty with freckles and bright red hair in pigtails shrieked with laughter as her young father pushed her gently. As he sat back down next to Connie, Mike noticed a young couple running together, the mother pushing a jogging stroller with a baby sound asleep inside. Mike felt a frown cross his face.

Connie noticed. "Penny for your thoughts?" she asked, popping the last bit of her sugar cone into her mouth.

"Do you realize," Mike began, "when this kid is old enough to vote I'll be in my sixties?"

Connie practically choked on the ice cream cone. "Where did that come from?" she coughed.

Mike waved his hand. "This case," he said. "Senator Peterson and his wife and her boy toy." It was an unusual case to be sure. Camille Peterson had taken Dustin Henry as her lover. The 20 year old was more than forty years her junior. She tried to show him she would go to any lengths to keep him. She had fronted the money and inventory for Dustin to open his own wine shop. She had plans for some very selective reconstructive surgery, which had led to an absurdly awkward moment at the plastic surgeon's office as Connie was trying to surreptitiously find out what procedures their suspect had scheduled. Ultimately, she had killed Dustin's sister when the younger woman threatened to tell the senator about the affair. Camille protested that she had no choice, that she couldn't lose Dustin because he made her feel beautiful again.

Connie was still confused. "What does that have to do with your age when the baby is old enough to vote?" she asked.

"You heard what she said," Mike answered. "About Peterson's hair transplants and Viagra, and 'old man smell'."

"And?" Connie prompted, still unsure where he was going with this.

"And, you're a beautiful woman Connie," Mike told her, "and you are still going to be a beautiful, young woman when our kid is grown up, but you'll be stuck with me, an old man. Our kid will be stuck with an old dad." He absently kicked at a pebble on the ground in front of him. "It's no wonder you won't marry me," he mumbled.

For the second time in recent memory, she really wanted to laugh out loud at him, but Connie again knew that such a response wouldn't really help the current situation. Truth be told, the twelve year difference in their ages had never really been an issue. Oh, sure, Connie may have teased him once about being in preschool when he started working at the DA's office, but that really had more to do with the attention Mike was getting from a certain law clerk than anything else. Though he was older than her, she certainly didn't think of him as "old." Mike was a good looking man. He was healthy and took care of himself - exercised and tried to eat well despite a penchant for take-out Chinese. But Connie could tell, this was really bothering him.

"Mike," she said, sliding closer to him and gently pushing his hair back off his forehead. "You have obviously never heard any of the female clerks and interns discussing all your best attributes, of which there are many. Trust me," she leaned over and kissed his lips quickly, " 'Old man' is not how they describe you." She saw a small smile begin to play across his face. "And think of all the fun we have ahead of us just getting this kid, and any others who come along, to the point where they are old enough to vote?" Mike quirked his eyebrows at her comment about more children. She flashed him a sassy smile. "If they are as stubborn and as driven as we both are, we're going to stay young just trying to keep up with them." She leaned closer, dropping her voice to just above a whisper as she added one more point to her argument. "And don't think for a minute that my sexual appetite for you is going to diminish as I get older." She leaned forward to kiss the stunned but pleased expression on his face. "I'll keep you young," she whispered as their lips parted.

Mike regarded her for a moment, deciding that maybe he was overreacting to a bizarre case. He had wasted a lot of time and energy lately thinking about the past and worrying about the future, and it had caused him to do some things that were, quite frankly, dumb. He smiled at Connie, silently promising himself that he would do a better job of focusing on everything that was good and right with the "here and now," because his here and now was pretty damn amazing. Mike stood up, offering Connie his hand. He pulled her to her feet and straight into a kiss. He thought he could taste the salted pretzel caramel whatever it was ice cream she'd had and decided maybe it wasn't so bad after all. They began to make their way hand in hand through the Pinetum toward the Great Lawn. They watched the many families along the way, both thinking about a time in the not too distant future when their own little family could join the others in Central Park. Connie took Mike's arm, hugging it to her.

"Oh, and about that little 'No wonder you won't marry me' remark?" Connie started, seeing Mike grimace. "Just remember, I didn't say no, I said not yet." Mike nodded as Connie continued. "And not for nothing, but blurting it out in the middle of the sidewalk? Not really a girl's dream proposal."

Mike looked over at her, the wheels in his head already turning. "I'll keep that in mind," he said as they continued to enjoy the sunshine on their way through the park.

* * *

 _They are in this for the long haul, folks, but they're going to get there in their own time and at their own pace….despite Mike's best efforts to rush them along. ;)_


	11. Chapter 11

_I can't believe that I only have 3 more episodes to write about after this one! (Don't worry - I have more coming after that last episode.) Thank you so much to everyone who continues to read and review. I hope you enjoy this installment of Mike and Connie's adventure. Please let me know!_

* * *

Chapter 11 - The Taxman Cometh

Mike Cutter entered his office to find Connie typing on the laptop that she had set up on the conference table. He handed her the cup of yogurt that he had just retrieved from one of the vendors downstairs. Connie smiled at him as she looked at the clock, thinking _he doesn't want our little raspberry to miss it's mid-afternoon snack_. It had become something of a habit for Connie to start craving something to eat around 2:30 every afternoon. The latest top choice was vanilla yogurt with berries. Mike, in turn, had gotten in the habit of just going to get it for her before she even had a chance to ask. Mike returned her smile, leaning in to tell her quietly, "I think we are officially the worst kept secret in the office."

Connie stopped stirring the fruit up from the bottom of the cup and looked at him with a slightly panicked expression. "What?" she asked hesitantly.

"Oh no, not _that_ secret," Mike said, his eyes dropping briefly to her midsection. They had yet to share the news of Connie's pregnancy with, well, much of anyone. No one at work knew as of yet. Connie's sister had guessed, and Connie thought her mother had strong suspicions but was refraining from asking any questions. Mike and Connie both knew the time was approaching when they could no longer hide it, but for now it was kind of nice to just savor the secret between the two of them.

"I just meant the 'you and me' secret," Mike told her, then proceeded to relay the story of how he had just run into David Adamski, one of his coworkers from his years prosecuting drug cases, downstairs. David was now in the Appeals Bureau. They had taken a few minutes to catch up while waiting in line at the food cart. Mike had asked about David's family. After answering, David had grinned, leaning over to nudge Mike's shoulder. "So, you and Connie Rubirosa, huh?"

Mike had just looked at him for a moment, his eyebrows raised and his mouth hanging open slightly. He and Connie certainly never really hid their relationship, especially once Jack knew. He hadn't stopped to think about other people at the office finding out. He just never imagined that anyone else would really care. It took Mike only a few seconds to recover enough to respond in the affirmative. David clapped Mike on the back.

"I don't know, my friend. I think you should count your blessings. You're definitely dating above your station, aren't you?" he teased.

Having finally reached the front of the line, Mike ordered Connie's yogurt cup. He accepted it from the cashier, trading a few dollars in payment and smiled at his friend. "Dave, you have no idea."

Mike finished recounting the story to Connie, adding, "So, apparently, you're quite a catch."

Connie rolled her eyes. She had never been one to worry too much about what others thought of her personal relationships. She thought back to their first meeting with Catherine Douglas and her lawyer. When Connie had pointed out that they were going to use Amanda Green's testimony, Catherine had just smirked at Connie.

"What do your former lovers have to say about you?" she had asked Connie. Connie had just returned her look, certainly not willing to be baited into _that_ conversation. Especially not with her current lover sitting at her side.

"Is that what they're saying?" Connie asked with amusement, bringing a spoonful of yogurt to her mouth.

"Mmmhmm," Mike said, sitting down next to her at the table and leaning in to look at the laptop screen without meeting her eyes. "And I completely agree."

Connie chuckled, shaking her head as she leaned back to toss the now-empty yogurt cup into a trash can before turning her attention back to the computer screen where she had been researching spousal privilege. They were both reading silently when Jack entered the office a few minutes later.

"I hear congratulations are in order," he said. They looked up at him, but Jack continued before either of them had a chance to respond. "Your brilliant argument just made new case law about the marital privilege."

"Yep," Mike said sheepishly, leaning back in his chair, "and destroyed my own case. They're calling me 'Boomerang Mike'." Another little tidbit of information he had picked up downstairs.

"That ruling is unsupportable," Connie pointed out, for Mike's sake as much as for Jack's. "The privilege only applies to legally married, heterosexual couples."

Jack shrugged. "That judge thinks that's wrong."

"Well, it doesn't matter," Connie countered. "A family court ruling isn't binding in criminal court."

"Unless the trial judge says it is," Jack said, playing Devil's advocate. "Who'd you draw?"

"Laramie," Mike told him.

Jack smiled ruefully. "His son got married to a fine, young man in Massachusetts last year," he told them, turning to leave the office. "Good luck."

Mike and Connie both just stared after him. Mike's elbow's were braced on the table, his hands clasped in front of him, his face a picture of surprise. For the second time in less than an hour, he found himself momentarily at a loss for words.

* * *

The following Monday morning, Mike and Connie stood side by side facing Judge Laramie. Mike was presenting his argument as to why the spousal privilege should not apply in the case of Catherine Douglas and Amanda Green. Mike continued to battle with Douglas's lawyer.

"The people are trying to have it both ways," David Haig argued. "They had Ms. Douglas's And Ms. Green's adoption invalidated on the grounds that their relationship was really a marriage. Now they're saying it's really not a marriage? I personally defer to their earlier argument."

"And I personally would be happy to attend Ms. Douglas's and Ms. Green's wedding. But this isn't personal," Mike countered, "It's about the laws of the state of New York."

"The statute says that a husband or wife shall not disclose a confidential communication imparted during their marriage, but society has changed," Haig replied.

"For better or for worse," Mike said, "those changes have not been accepted by legislature."

"For better or worse?" Judge Laramie interrupted with a smile. "Are you attempting to conduct a wedding right here, Mr. Cutter?"

Connie's face gave away nothing, but Mike could not contain the half smile that broke across his face. "Well, I would if I could, your honor," he said, inclining his head ever so slightly toward Connie but not daring to meet her eyes.

Douglas's lawyer interrupted the moment that he didn't even realize was occurring. "If his commitment to equal rights is so strong, maybe he'd care to withdraw his motion?"

Mike was once again focused on the task at hand. "If this actually were about equal rights, I might. But Ms. Douglas is only waving the banner of civil rights to weaken our murder case against her."

"Well, it's refreshing that we're all on the same side of the moral issue," Judge Laramie stated, "but I'm afraid the legal issue compels me to rule for Mr. Cutter. Ms. Green can testify. The spousal privilege does not apply." The judge's gavel sounded, signaling an end to the proceedings. The three lawyers were turning away from the bench when Mike heard Judge Laramie's voice. "Mr. Cutter?"

Mike turned back in the direction of the judge. "Yes, sir?" he said, walking toward him.

Laramie smiled as he leaned closer to Mike and dropped his voice. "If you do find yourself in need of someone to help you conduct a wedding sometime in the future," he said, casting an obvious glance to where Connie was currently organizing their paperwork at the prosecution table, "give me a call. I'd be happy to help."

For the third time in recent days, Mike was once again rendered speechless. Finally, he just smiled and nodded. "I will take that under advisement, your honor." He moved to join Connie at the table, grabbing his briefcase from the floor.

"Everything okay?" she asked, glancing back to where the judge was just returning to his chambers.

Mike was certain they did not have nearly enough time for the conversation that was likely to stem from sharing the Judge's observations with her. "Yeah, I'll, uh, I'll fill you in later," he said. "Let's see if we can catch Amanda before she leaves the courthouse."

* * *

They did, in fact, catch Amanda Green. Unfortunately, she told them in no uncertain terms that she was no longer willing to testify against Catherine. Mike and Connie spent the rest of the week running down new leads. They zeroed in on Dr. Balicheck, discovering that he used chemotherapy to keep Louise Casey's father alive. Chemotherapy, which was something that Balicheck was famous for being vehemently against the use of. When pressed, Balicheck admitted that it was Graham who had strong-armed him into using the chemo, threatening to pull his other patients away if he did not keep Mrs. Casey's father alive into 2010.

Dr. Balicheck had also revealed that Amanda Green's baby was conceived from an egg donated by Catherine Douglas. Mike and Connie were putting in some overtime on the weekend, trying to come up with any way to use this revelation. They were surprised when Jack dropped by the virtually deserted office late Saturday afternoon on his way to a fundraiser. He was less than exuberant about the event, and therefore was more than happy to sit down with them to talk through what they knew. He looked over Mike's whiteboard diagram, shaking his head at the convoluted relationship between the two women and how it all connected to the case.

"If that baby came from Catherine's egg, Catherine has a strong claim to it," Mike said, marker in hand,

"Pretty big club for her to hold over Amanda," Jack added. "No wonder she changed her story."

"But if Amanda tells the truth and sends Catherine to prison, Catherine won't get the baby then," Connie pointed out.

"Who knows?" Mike interjected. "It'll be a big fight with a lot of money on Catherine's side," he trailed off, studying the whiteboard. "You know," he said thoughtfully, pointing to the board, "until we annulled the adoption, that baby was Catherine's daughter and her granddaughter."

"She's my sister. Chh! She's my daughter. She's my sister. Chh! She's my daughter," Jack joked, tossing his head from side to side.

Connie and Mike both smiled. " _Chinatown_. That's nice, Jack," Connie commented.

"You know, when King Solomon had a situation involving two women and one baby, he resolved it by threatening to cut the child in half," Jack observed.

"We don't have a sword," Mike answered.

The room was quiet for a long moment, until the answer hit Connie like lightning.

"No," she said with a smile. "We have something better."

Mike and Jack both looked at her with questioning eyes. She simply nodded as she stepped forward, then began to detail her plan to bring in Cousin Randy as a guardian, arguing that no mother would ever allow someone like that to take care of her baby. "They're mothers," Connie said. "A mother will do anything for her baby."

Jack regarded her for a moment, a small smile playing at his lips. Connie was glad that she had moved so that Jack was now positioned between her and Mike, because if Jack had seen the look of complete adoration that was currently written all over Mike's face, Connie was certain Jack would guess their big secret in a heartbeat,

At that moment, Jack's cell phone chirped, letting him know that the car was STILL waiting for him downstairs. He told Mike and Connie to keep him posted. They watched as Jack made his way into the elevator. As the doors closed, Mike went to Connie and surprised her with a kiss, a rarity in the office.

"What was that for?" she asked breathlessly.

"Because you're brilliant and beautiful and the mother of my child," Mike told her honestly. A dazzling smile crossed Connie's face. Mike leaned in and whispered, "Quite a catch indeed," as he caught her lips again.

* * *

Tuesday evening, they were in Jack's office, giving him the results of their ruse.

"Catherine gave it up," Mike said. "Graham saw he was cooked. He pleaded to a single count, took ten years."

"I never would have let you give the baby to that idiot cousin," Jack told them.

"And Solomon wouldn't have swung his sword," Connie pointed out with a smile. "It was theater."

Jack smiled at them proudly. "Bravo."

Mike and Connie turned and smiled at each other as they made their way out of Jack's office. They had decided to head out for a celebratory dinner and start on the paperwork to officially close this case first thing in the morning. After collecting their respective essentials, they found themselves standing side by side once again waiting for the elevator. Mike inclined his head toward Connie. "That really was an excellent idea you had."

"You may have mentioned that a time or two," she told him, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "What can I say? I have been told I'm quite a catch." As they entered the elevator together a thought occurred to Connie.

"You never did tell me what it was that Judge Laramie called you back to the bench for the other day." she said.

"Oh, right," Mike nodded. "Uh, well, let's just say we've moved on from worst kept secret in the DA's office to worst kept secret in all of Foley Square."

"Oh, my," Connie said. "What did he say?"

"Oh nothing really," Mike said with a shrug as the elevator arrived at the lobby. "Just that if I ever need someone to officiate our wedding, to give him a call," he added as he exited the elevator, leaving Connie standing with her eyes wide and her mouth open in shock. Mike reached back to stop the elevator doors from closing. "Coming?" he asked with a smile.

Connie just nodded as she joined him. It was her turn to be rendered speechless.

* * *

 _That look that the judge gives Mike, it just always makes me smile!_


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 - Immortal

The drive from Stag Hill, New Jersey back to Manhattan was likely to take about an hour. Connie Rubirosa settled back in the passenger seat, her eyes fixed on the scenery passing by outside the window. Sunlight shone through the trees, stretching their leafless branches toward the sky on both sides of the two-lane highway that Mike was driving them on through the foothills of the Ramapo Mountains as they navigated back toward the city. She closed her eyes, imagining the view in a few month's time. The trees by then would be covered with green leaves, completely changing the look of the entire landscape.

"I noticed you didn't try your squirrel stew," Mike's voice broke into her thoughts. She opened her eyes and turned to him, seeing concern in his eyes as he glanced her way before once again focusing on the road. "Feeling alright?" he asked.

Connie smiled at him affectionately. "I could smell the paprika," she told him. "Didn't want to chance it." She had discovered after a visit to one of her favorite Italian places last week that her latest pregnancy symptom was a sensitive stomach brought on, she believed, by certain spices. She was hoping it would not last too much longer.

"That's too bad. It was actually very good," Mike said.

"Says the man who'll eat anything," Connie chuckled. She was quiet for a moment, then a frown crossed her face. "I hope I didn't offend them," Connie said, referring to Cordell and Ben Robinson. "They seem like nice people."

Mike looked her way again quickly. "Well, they seemed pretty taken with you, especially Cordell."

Connie smiled, looking once again out her window at the swiftly passing trees. "I hope we can figure out a way to help them," she said quietly before her voice turned hard. "The way Hema Labs treated Nathan Robinson, and continues to treat his family is just...it's reprehensible."

Mike shared her frustration with the situation, and could not disagree. They discussed their next steps - talking to Michael Reed, talking to Joseph Hernandez.

It was going to be a busy day.

* * *

As the trial began, as much as Mike knew it was his job to prosecute Michael Reed for stabbing his cousin Jerome Turner, he also found himself wanting to put Hema Labs on trial. He hammered away at Glen Dolan when he had him on the stand, questioning why Hema Labs never compensated Nathan Robinson or his family, comparing what the company did to the Tuskegee Experiments in the 1930s. He questioned the private investigator, Hernandez, and then Lieutenant Van Buren was next on the stand. Mike had just finished questioning her about the facts of the case, but as he was making his way back to the prosecution's table, an idea jumped into his mind. He turned back to where the police lieutenant was still on the stand.

"Excuse me for asking, Lieutenant but," Mike began, "aren't you undergoing medical treatment for cervical cancer?"

Van Buren's face showed her surprise at the very personal question being asked in open court. Behind Mike, Connie's face showed surprise of her own.

Anita looked over at the judge for help. "This is a private matter, your honor."

Mike gestured between the judge and his witness. "Well, it goes to the witness's state of mind."

Judge Walton looked sympathetic but her hands were tied. "Sorry Lieutenant. Answer the best you can."

Anita turned her attention once again to Mike. "Yes, I'm undergoing treatment."

Mike knew she was angry, but he also knew there was nothing else he could do now but continue on. "And have you taken any medications made by Hema Labs, such as, uh, carboplatin used in chemotherapy? Or, uh, pegfilgrastim to bolster your white blood count?"

"Both of those," Anita answered.

"And does it disturb you that these drugs were developed from the cells of Nathan Robinson, which were obtained without consent or remuneration?" Mike asked his question as he walked toward the jury, making sure he had their attention.

Anita looked appalled. "How could you ask me that?"

"Please, just answer my question," Mike said. He could feel her anger directed straight at him and was suddenly hoping to wrap things up as quickly as possible.

"Well, what do you think, Mr. Cutter?" Anita asked rhetorically. "These drugs might save my life. I'm grateful to Nathan Robinson and his family, but that doesn't' mean they were treated with justice Mr. Cutter," she stared Mike down with a cold gaze, "or dignity."

Mike nodded, then made his way back to his seat as Anita was excused from the stand. The look on Connie's face told Mike that she was also less than impressed with his line of questioning. He knew that Connie had great respect and admiration for the police lieutenant that they often worked with. Mike felt the same way. And the way she had faced this battle with cancer with so much quiet strength was inspiring. Mike was trying to show exactly what Anita, herself, had said on the stand, Those drugs, created thanks to Nathan Robinson, had saved countless lives. He was trying to explain that to Connie as they left the courthouse.

"But, Mike," Connie protested, her voice hard, "it was not your place to bring her personal medical history to light, to put it on the record in court, without even discussing it with her first!"

"I wanted to bring it up before the defense did," Mike protested, "that way I could control it."

Connie sighed in frustration. "I know you were trying to help the Robinson family by showing a human example of just one of the thousands of people Nathan's life helped, but this was not the right way to do it," she told him, shaking her head. "Anita has every right to be angry with you."

They rounded the corner outside the courthouse, and Mike was about to reply when he saw Anita Van Buren waiting for them.

"Lieutenant," Mike began, hoping to explain, but Anita cut him off.

"I can't believe what you just did to me in there, Mr. Cutter," she told him angrily, "without the decency to ask my permission or to let me know what was coming!"

"I'm sorry, I just," Mike tried to clarify. "It occurred to me in the moment that we could,"

"It occurred to you?" Anita interrupted incredulously. "Well, did it occur to you that I might have a problem with it?"

"I was trying to keep the defense from using the same argument." Mike offered. But Anita wasn't buying it.

"No, no. Please. I know what you were doing," Anita said, pointing at him. "You were using me, Mr. Cutter. You violated my privacy so that you could win your case. You are no better than Hema Labs!"

Anita turned and walked away. Mike watched her go, his face a stoney mask. Connie stood by silently, before she finally placed her hand on his arm. "Let's head back to the office. We've got some work to do." Mike turned wordlessly as they made their way down the courthouse steps. "Just give it some time, Mike," Connie told him, before adding, "then make sure you fix it."

* * *

Testimony continued the next day before the case finally went to the jury. After three days, with the jury still deliberating, Mike, Connie, and Jack met with Michael Reed and his attorney along with the reps from Hema Labs to try to work out a deal. Glen Dolan was reticent to offer any money to the Robinson family, until Jack pointed out that Hema Lab's doctor taking Eddie Robinson's blood without his consent was considered assault, for which Jack would be more than happy to prosecute. Mike detailed the conditions he and Connie had witnessed on their visit to the Robinson homestead in Stag Hill, strongly suggesting to Dolan that he make the settlement amount ten million dollars. "Payable now," Mike finished. He then made a plea deal with Michael Reed to close the case.

Back in their office, Connie was organizing and filing the paperwork from the case when she came across Joseph Hernandez's personnel file from his time with the NYPD. She knew the file needed to be returned to the 27th Precinct, and she knew just the man for the job, She gathered the file folders, taking them into Mike's office. He looked up as she entered, watched her cross to the filing cabinet to put all but one away. "Ready to head out?" he asked.

Connie handed him the file. "I'm heading home. You need to take this back to the 2-7," she told him, leaving no room for argument, "and while you're there you should apologize to Lieutenant Van Buren," she told him with an arched eyebrow.

Mike took the personnel file from her hand with a sigh, just looking at it. He knew she was right. Once again he had stormed ahead in the courtroom without thinking. His intentions may have been good, but he probably could not have gone about it in a worse way if he had tried. "Okay," he nodded to Connie.

She smiled at him reassuringly. "Tell her what you were thinking, but that you just didn't think it through." Mike nodded again as Connie came to his side and kissed him on the cheek. "Come by my place when you're done," she said. "I'll cook tonight, you get tomorrow night."

Mike smiled his thanks to her as he pulled on his coat. He grabbed his briefcase and the file, and headed out.

* * *

Mike made his way warily through the squad room of the 27th Precinct. He saw Lupo and Bernard at their desks and decided that would be a good place to start. "Hey," he said, holding up the folder in his hand. "Joseph Hernandez's personnel file. Thanks."

Lupo accepted the file. "You don't need it anymore?"

"No," Mike told them, glancing around the squad room to see if he could spot the Lieutenant. "Uh, case pled out."

"How'd we do?" Bernard asked.

"All things considered, not so badly," he told them, as he saw Anita approaching from across the room, heading toward her office. Their eyes met only briefly before Anita shifter her gaze.

"Lieutenant," Mike said.

Anita continued right past him without missing a step. "Counselor."

Mike watched her as she continued on into her office.

"Whoa," Bernard observed. "What'd you do, man?"

"Something dumb," Mike muttered, "and now I have to fix it, or Connie won't be speaking to me next." He took a deep breath and began the walk toward Van Buren's office.

"Good luck," Lupo called, having himself been on the receiving end of the squad commander's ire, he silently added _you're gonna need it!_

Mike knocked on the door frame, waiting for Anita to look up from her computer. "Sorry to interrupt, but could I have a few minutes of your time?" he asked.

Anita sighed, removing her glasses. "What can I do for you, Mr. Cutter?"

Mike came fully into the office, sitting down in one of the chairs in front of the desk. "Lieutenant, I owe you an apology," he said. Anita stayed silent, her face unreadable as Mike continued. "While my motives were not what you think - I wasn't just trying to win a case - I should never have asked you questions of such a personal nature, not without talking to you about it first."

Anita's face was still expressionless as she asked, "What were your motives then?"

Mike shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I was just," he stopped short, trying to articulate his thoughts. "I was trying to get the jury to see that Hema Labs was the real 'bad guy' for what they did to Nathan Robinson and his family for all those years."

Anita studied him for a moment. She was honestly a bit surprised. She had witnessed Michael Cutter in the courtroom for years. She knew he was masterful at his job, that he fought hard to win his cases, but she had to admit, at times the way he went about it was just distasteful.

This was a different side of him.

Mike, however, took her silence for skepticism, so he continued. "Connie reminded me, once again, of my need to stop and think when I have one of these 'brilliant ideas' while I'm questioning a witness."

Anita finally let a ghost of a smile cross her face as the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. She saw the way his eyes lit up when he mentioned his co-worker's name. _Co-worker, uh huh,_ Anita thought.

"You should listen to her more often," she observed.

Mike chuckled, "Trust me, I know." He looked at Anita and continued sincerely, "She has a lot of respect for you. And I can guess what you think of me, but I wanted to let you know that I have a lot of respect for you , too. And I am sorry that I did not respect your privacy."

Truth be told, if Anita Van Buren had learned anything during her fight against cervical cancer, it was to give her attention to things that really mattered, to not hold grudges, and to be a little more quick to forgive. Life was just too short to live it any other way. "Apology accepted Mike," she told him.

Mike gave her a nod of the head. "Thank you," he said quietly, standing and reaching across her desk for a handshake. "I should get going." He turned and had one hand on the doorknob when he heard Anita's voice behind him.

"Connie is a smart woman," she said. "You be sure to hold on to her, treat her right."

Mike smiled. He didn't know if she was really fishing for confirmation that he and Connie were together, but he was certainly proud and willing to give it to her whether she was searching for it or not. "Oh, I plan to Lieutenant," he told her as he opened the door to head home to his love. "I plan to."

* * *

Later that evening, Connie heard the key turning in the door of her apartment. She smiled over her shoulder as she watched Mike come in. He dropped his briefcase on the floor under the table just inside the door and hung his coat in the closet. _Miracle of miracles,_ Connie thought, _he's finally in the habit of hanging up his coat instead of just throwing it over a chair._

Connie met him just as he was about to join her in the kitchen. He returned her smile, sliding his arms around her waist to pull her close as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down slightly to meet his lips with her own. Connie let the kiss go on for a bit before pulling away to look him in the eyes.

"Everything okay now?" she asked him.

"Yeah," he answered, running a hand up and down her back. "Everything's great."

"Good," Connie said, leaning in to kiss him once again. "You really are a good man, Michael Cutter," she whispered in his ear. She smiled at him as she took his hand to lead him into her kitchen. "Come on," she said, "Let's eat."

* * *

 _I always feel like Mike and Van Buren had to have had some kind of discussion and resolution to their disagreement, otherwise the hug they share at the end of the series finale just wouldn't make a whole lot of sense. Hopefully this seems feasible for that resolution. Please let me know what you think. Only 2 more chapters until we head into virtual season 21 land!_


	13. Chapter 13

_Here's the next part! I am so jazzed that so many people seem to be enjoying this story. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I still own nothing-anything you recognize from the Law and Order universe is used quite lovingly and with the utmost respect._

* * *

Chapter 13 - Love Eternal

Mike Cutter and Connie Rubirosa stood near one of the coffee stations in their office. They watched through the window as Joshua Felner and Marty Ashcroft made their way through the busy office toward the elevators, coats over their arms. They had just finished questioning the two men about their scheme, along with David DiNapoli, to make a series of bogus investments with each other in order to liquidate large amounts of their money as they prepared to divorce their wives. After the dust settled, the money would magically reappear. The plan cast both men in a bad light, but it didn't do Marielle DiNapoli any good either. Felner had told them that Marielle had found out about their little plan, and it made her very angry.

Connie and Mike were both thoroughly disgusted by the men, and Mike found Marielle just plain bizarre. He was really having a terrible time getting past the whole "pink handcuffs and dog cage" scenario that seemed to just have been par for the course for this couple. He constantly made side comments and quips about it, usually in front of others, that Connie found herself needing to cover or explain away.

"They'd rather let a murderer go free than give their wives a fair share of their assets," Connie said, watching the two men in question enter the elevator.

"Yeah," Mike said. "Makes me appreciate being single,"

He and Connie shared a look. This had become Mike's new "thing." He knew that Connie was fully aware of how much he loved her and wanted to marry her, but he wanted his official proposal, when it came, to be perfect. He also did not want to be constantly bringing it up and badgering her about the subject. Part of his plan was to make the occasion when he really asked her a complete surprise, so he had, as of late, taken to making these flippant comments about being single. The old "marriage is an institution...but who wants to be in an institution?" shtick. He was sure Connie knew it was all in fun. Hell, as brilliant as Connie was, she probably long ago had figured out exactly what he was doing.

"Marielle DiNapoli had a motive," Mike said. "Let's call Lupo and Bernard."

Connie cautioned him. "Well, there are no eyewitnesses, no conclusive forensics…"

Mike searched for the kindest words he could fine to describe Marielle DiNapoli. He finally settled on, "The woman is unstable." He shrugged, "We charge her, shake her up, maybe we get a plea?"

Connie narrowed her eyes. "It of course doesn't warrant murder," she started, "but those husbands are despicable."

"Now, now," Mike said in mild amusement, "we haven't met with both of their wives yet."

* * *

Marielle was arraigned the following day, entering a plea of "not possible," stating that her husband David was her soul mate and how could she kill her own soul? Mike and Connie met with her and her lawyer, but Marielle stuck to her story. She told them that while she knew about her husband's investment with Josh Felner, David was working to get the money back so they could buy the house in Westhampton where they were first together. When they reported this latest development to Jack, he agreed with Connie that checking on the real estate deal was a good idea. The wheels in Connie's head quickly started turning and she began to wonder how difficult it would be to convince Mike that they should go out to dinner, maybe even stay overnight at a bed and breakfast and make the two hour drive back to the city on Saturday.

Surprisingly, it took very little work on Connie's part to persuade Mike to abandon his workaholic tendencies, at least for one night. As they made their way out of Manhattan, Connie behind the wheel of the car, Mike confessed that he'd had the same thought when Jack had directed them to check out this lead. Their caseload had been particularly heavy recently, so given the opportunity to take a break and spend a little downtime together, Mike and Connie jumped at it. They stopped quickly at their respective places to pack a bag, and then headed out. Mike was hard at work on his Blackberry as Connie drove, first contacting the real estate agent to set up a time to meet and get precise directions to the Westhampton property the DiNapoli's were interested in. He then moved on to securing reservations for them for dinner and a place to stay. As it was just the first week of April, he had little trouble finding a place to accommodate them.

Connie looked at the expansive property around them as she and Mike spoke with the realtor. "Lovely grounds," the realtor commented.

"Nice for chasing your lover around with a whip," Mike added to Connie. Unfortunately, it was just loud enough for the realtor to almost make out as well.

"Excuse me?" she asked from behind them.

Connie shot Mike a look that said, _behave!_ He had been having too much fun making such comments during this case. She turned her attention back to the agent and tried to cover.

"Uh, we understand that Mr. and Mrs. DiNapoli had a sentimental attachment to the place."

"Oh yes, they seemed quite taken with it. And each other," she told them. "I thought they were newlyweds."

"Were they serious potential buyers?" Mike asked.

The agent nodded in the affirmative. "They were about to make an offer," she confirmed. "Mr. DiNapoli even had his business manager call to go over some details."

Mike and Connie exchanged a look. "His business manager?"

"Uh, yes," the realtor looked at her phone. "Name of Joshua Felner." At that moment her cell phone rang. Glancing down she smiled, waving it in the air at them as she continued on across the porch away from them. "I'm in a bidding war. Excuse me."

Mike and Connie smiled as they watched her go. "Felner wasn't DiNapoli's business manager," Connie said.

"No," Mike agreed, "but if he was checking to see what DiNapoli was up to - if he was really staying with his wife, really needed his money back,"

Connie picked up his train of thought. "If DiNapoli wanted out, the whole divorce scam might have blown up."

"Which would give both Felner and Ashcroft the motive to kill DiNapoli and then lie about what his wife knew so that we'd go after her," Mike finished.

Connie shook her head in disgust. "All this just to screw their wives?"

Mike shrugged. "Maybe their wives would like to return the favor?" he said as they headed to catch up with the realtor to let her know they'd be on their way.

"I'll set up a meeting with Amy Felner and Suzanne Ashcroft for Monday, and then," Mike smiled at her, "no more work talk for tonight."

* * *

They decided to go ahead and check in at the bed and breakfast Mike had chosen and do a little exploring before their dinner reservations at the Harbor Bistro.

Connie looked around the grounds of the Mill House Inn, duly impressed with Mike's choice. Mike had tried to talk Connie into letting him get them a suite, but she was more than satisfied with the beautiful room on the third floor that they would call their own for the night. From the pale yellow walls to the fire already roaring in the fireplace, to the beautiful view both from the windows and through the skylights above the tub in the bathroom, it couldn't be more perfect.

Though the air was chilly, the sun was still shining brilliantly as it was beginning to sink lower in the sky. Mike and Connie walked hand in hand through the waterside village, stopping occasionally to browse in some of the open shops. They soon headed to the restaurant, where they were treated to the view of a magnificent sunset over the water right outside the window.

"Did you request this table?"Connie asked Mike as she speared another forkful of salad.

Mike just smiled innocently, then said with a shrug, "You're just lucky I guess."

Connie smiled back at him, nudging his calf with her toe under the table. "Yeah, I am," she quietly agreed.

They finished their dinner and headed back to the Inn, Connie telling Mike that she was dying to see the view of the stars from the bathtub during a bubble bath. Mike whispered in her ear as they walked. "I've got another view in mind."

Connie just smiled. "You play your cards right, I just might invite you to join me."

Which she did.

* * *

After a blissful night, Mike and Connie didn't awaken the next day until around 9 am. They enjoyed a laid back morning with a delicious breakfast at the Inn before packing up to head back to the city. About an hour out of the Hamptons, Mike took his eyes off the road to glance over at the passenger seat where Connie sat dozing. He smiled, returning his eyes to the road ahead of them. This little break was exactly what they had needed. They had been so busy lately, and Mike knew they would need to jump right back into the case as they prepared to meet with Mrs. Felner and Mrs. Ashcroft on Monday, but this little over nighter was much needed. Connie liked to push herself, but Mike knew, she would soon come to the point where she just had to slow down. They were swiftly approaching that magic three month mark, the point at which the doctor had told them the risk of a miscarriage drops significantly. And while Connie wasn't really showing her pregnancy yet to the average onlooker, Mike had noticed last night as he held her in the bathtub just the slightest of baby bumps was starting to develop. He didn't mention it at the time, but he was certain Connie had noticed, too. The changes in their life together were soon to be undeniable to everyone.

And part of him just couldn't wait.

* * *

The following week began a roller coaster ride that would eventually take them to the conclusion of their case. The meeting with Ashcroft and Felner's wives was eye-opening, at least for Suzanne Ashcroft. Amy Felner was suddenly wise to her husband, telling them all that she had thrown him out and filed for divorce. When Connie told Mike that they were unlikely to learn anything new from the wives, they moved on to their husbands. They enlisted the help of Marielle DiNapoli, who still proclaimed her innocence. Connie, at least, was beginning to believe her. The plan was to have Marielle talk to Marty Ashcroft, and it seemed to be working perfectly - until Marielle learned that Ashcroft had some of her husband's comic books. Marielle was convinced then that this was her husband's murderer, and she tried to avenge him in the middle of a restaurant with a steak knife from the table. Ashcroft, however, gave them the information they needed - that it was Josh Felner behind the plan to hide their assets until they divorced their wives. When David wanted out and threatened to blow the whistle on them, it was Josh who said he'd take care of it. Josh Felner was charged with murder, and all charges were dropped against Marielle. When Detective Bernard asked if that meant Marielle would now be one of their witnesses and Mike and Connie answered in the affirmative, he chuckled a little, saying, "Good luck." They didn't realize how much they would need that luck with Marielle on the stand. She was goaded by Felner's defense attorney to the breaking point. When she could take no more, Marielle grabbed the judge's gavel, swinging it in the direction of the attorney as she screamed at her. Mike thought in that moment that their case was blown by the behavior of an unstable witness. However, Josh Felner made a fatal misstep while on the stand, and Mike and Connie took full advantage of it. He was convicted of second degree murder. Marielle DiNapoli met Mike and Connie as they were leaving the courtroom.

"I know what people think of me," she said, looking at Connie. Her eyes briefly glanced over at Mike. "I know what you may think of me." She once again focused on Connie. "But I never lied to you, and I loved my husband."

Connie smiled kindly. "I believe you," she told Marielle. And she did.

Marielle smiled in return, taking Connie's hand and squeezing it. "Thank you for everything," she said before turning to leave. Mike and Connie watched her go, then Mike gestured Connie ahead of him as they followed her out the door.

* * *

With the case and the work week finally wrapped up, Mike and Connie were looking forward to the weekend. Connie, especially, was craving the downtime. She'd had an early morning doctor's appointment before work. It was just a regular check up, during which she was assured that everything was just fine. She once again had the opportunity to hear the baby's heartbeat and her first ultrasound was scheduled. She was happy for the good news from the doctor, but the early appointment had led to a long day and she was exhausted by the end of it. They had gone to Mike's apartment for the night, where he cooked a "breakfast for dinner" feast of omelets while Connie flipped through channels on the television. After dinner, they found themselves together on the couch, Connie's feet in Mike's lap as he gently massaged them. This had evolved into a good, old fashioned make out session that seemed to just go on deliciously and endlessly. Connie apologized that she was just too tired to for anything more. Mike silenced her with another kiss, whispering in her ear, "You don't hear me complaining, do you?" Connie smiled, losing herself once again in Mike's kisses. He moved his lips from hers, trailing kisses across her cheek, down her neck. Connie leaned her head back with a sigh, granting him further access. She moaned softly as he gently nipped at her shoulder, kissing around the strap of the tank top that she wore along with the yoga pants she had changed into not long after they had arrived after work. Mike's lips continued in a path back up her neck to her ear, where he stopped somewhat abruptly.

"You didn't put those earrings in that Marielle gave you, did you?" he asked, somewhat breathlessly.

Connie looked at him quizzically. "No. Why?"

"Thank God," Mike sighed, "If you had, I'm not sure I'd ever be able to do this again," he whispered as he teased her ear lobe gently between his teeth.

Connie couldn't help it. The absurdity of the entire case, capped off by Marielle's gift of a pair of earrings created from her husband David's ashes, finally hit home. She couldn't contain the laughter that bubbled up and escaped despite Mike's attention to her naked earlobe. They sat up, moving slightly away from each other as Mike joined her in her amusement. She just looked at him for a heartbeat. She loved moments like this with him. Moments when he was unguarded, not stressing out over a court case or haunted by old memories. Moment when he was just happy. Moments when life was easy and everything made sense. She knew, though, that she loved all of the other moments with him, too. Even when life was challenging and difficult. Connie had never really believed in such an idea before, but maybe this is what Marielle meant by soulmates when she talked about her husband David. Connie turned and laid down with her back to Mike's chest. He immediately wrapped his arms around her. They were quiet for a long moment before he asked her quietly. "So what exactly did the doctor say this morning?"

Connie laid her hand on top of his where it rested on the slight bump that had finally started to show itself on her belly. She recounted the highlights, reminding him that she had already added the date of the ultrasound to his schedule so he wouldn't miss it. "We'll need to decide if we want to find out if it's a boy or a girl, or if we want to wait and be surprised," she reminded him.

"Hmmm," Mike hummed, gently running his hand back and forth over the spot where the baby rested. "I'm okay with waiting," he said, surprising himself. Connie glanced over her shoulder at him and he shrugged, "if you are." he finished.

Connie turned back and rested her head on his shoulder again. "There are so few really good surprises in life," she observed. "Might be kind of fun to wait for this one."

"Good surprises," Mike chuckled. "Not finding yourself locked up in a dog cage with pink handcuffs?"

Connie snickered. "No, that would definitely not qualify as good, though I don't think it was a surprise to either of them." Connie shook her head, then added cheekily. "Sort of makes me appreciate being single."

Mike chuckled as Connie added, "Don't think for a minute that I don't know exactly what you're doing with all those little comments, Michael Cutter."

He leaned down and kissed her neck. "I know you do," he said, "and that's exactly why I keep making them."

Connie sat up and turned to him. "Mike," she said, "I'm ready."

He gazed at her, a searching look on his face, as she continued.

"Maybe it's all of Marielle's talk about soulmates, or maybe it's my raging hormones. I think mostly it's just the fact that I have a life now that I always wanted but was never sure I'd have. I love you, and I love our life, and I love the life we are going to have in the future." She laced her fingers through his where they rested on her belly. "I'd like to wait until after the baby is born for the ceremony, but when you ask me again, the answer will be yes."

Mike felt a jolt of pure elation shoot through him. He never truly thought the answer would be anything else, but to hear Connie confirm it out loud was like magic. Still, though… "Are you sure?" he asked. "I don't want to push you, I just,"

She cut him off by leaning forward and capturing his lips with her own. "It's just about us, and we're the only ones who can really know what's right for us. Aren't we?" she said, her thumb gently caressing the slight stubble on his cheek. "I trust us to get it right."

Mike simply looked at her, then took her face in his hands and kissed her soundly. "You like surprises? I promise I'll make this proposal a really good one." he said with thinly veiled excitement.

She was about to caution him to not go overboard, but decided he knew her well enough to know what she would love. "I can't wait," she told him sincerely.

Mike leaned in close to her again. "I love you," he whispered. Connie smiled against his lips. Their make out session seemed to be ramping up once again, but this time Connie didn't think kissing on the couch would be enough. Turns out, she wasn't too tired anymore after all.

* * *

 _So, I have to admit, when I had the original idea for this story last spring, this episode and in particular Mike's comment about being glad to be single seemed like it would be especially problematic to explain. I hope the way I did it works...I'd love to hear what you think!_


	14. Chapter 14

_Final episode! I actually really struggled with this one. There was lots of lovey dovey-ness in the last chapter, so I decided we needed a little drama in this one…I hope you enjoy it!_

* * *

 _Chapter 14 - Rubber Room_

Connie Rubirosa stared across the conference room table at Mike, a mixture of disbelief and anger hardening her beautiful face.

"What?" she asked, conveying so much emotion in that one word.

Mike took a deep breath, glancing around the now empty room that just moments before had been filled with a flurry of activity as they had finally learned the identity of the suspected school shooter. Time was of the essence here. He had to make Connie understand, and he had to do it quickly.

"I'm going with the detectives," Mike repeated, "and I want you to stay here."

Connie exploded out of her seat. "Mike!" she yelled.

Mike raised his hands. "I don't have time to argue about this with you! Look, I know it's completely sexist of me to ask this of you, but right now, I don't care! I need to be able to focus on doing my job, and Connie I can't do that if I'm worrying about you getting shot or blown up!"

"Mike you are being ridiculous!" Connie argued.

Mike was desperate to make her understand. He knew this case hit close to home for her. Connie had long ago told him about earning her undergraduate degree in education, about the year she had spent teaching kindergarten. She had loved it, but unfortunately, or fortunately for Mike anyway, her position as a classroom teacher was lost by a reduction in workforce necessitated by declining student enrollment numbers. Mike had no doubt that if she had remained in education, she would have been an excellent teacher. But instead, she had decided to go to law school, figuring the world would always need lawyers and that the numbers of plaintiffs and defendants was unlikely to drop as drastically as the enrollment at her school did. Plus, she made sure to work so hard as to make herself indispensable. But this case reminded Connie of her love of being in the classroom that year. She understood better than any of them the stress that was placed on teachers, a livelihood that should have been celebrated and revered. She imagined the fear in the hearts of the teachers in those classrooms in the school that was being threatened.

Mike looked up and saw Lupo nodding toward the elevators, signaling that they were about to leave. He was out of time. "You can yell at me later all you want. Right now, stay here, finish the interview with Maura Scott." He grabbed her hand and gave it a quick squeeze as he passed by her on his way to the door. "I'll call you when we know anything."

"Mike!" Connie called as he reached the door. He turned back and could clearly read the anger on her face. "Be careful," she said grudgingly.

He gave her a small smile, a quick nod, and then he was gone.

Connie blew out an exasperated breath, brushing her hair out of her face as she sank back down into one of the chairs at the table. She picked up a pen, only to throw it back down almost immediately in frustration.

"You can't blame him for wanting to keep you safe."

Connie jumped as Jack's quiet voice startled her from behind. He wore a slight smile as he came in and sat down beside her.

Connie should have felt a little awkward discussing the matter with her boss, but the words came out before she could stop them. "He's never been one to tell me what to do, not like this" she said. "That's never how we've worked."

Jack shrugged. "Maybe he just realizes in this case what's really at stake, what he stands to lose if something were to go wrong," Jack reminded her.

Connie dismissed this thought. "What's he going to do, wrap me up in cotton and never let me out of his sight? I don't think so," she said, her anger growing again.

"Connie, this is a unique situation," Jack reminded her. "Lord willing the police will stop this guy before he kills anyone, but if Mike let you go to that school and you got hurt, he'd never forgive himself." Jack paused for a moment, then played his ace. "After all, he's worried about more than just you now, isn't he?"

Connie looked startled. She unconsciously wrapped her arms around her midsection. "What do you mean?" she was about to get angry at Mike all over again. Had he told Jack about the baby without telling her?

As if reading her thoughts, Jack held a hand up. "He didn't say a word Connie, but I have a daughter. Which means at one time I also had a pregnant wife. I've seen all the signs and symptoms before."

Connie's shoulders sagged. Truth be told, she was glad Jack knew, though it made her wonder how many of her other coworkers had also guessed. And she knew Jack was right about Mike. He wasn't trying to control her, he was just trying to keep her and the baby safe. But that he could so willingly walk into the same danger that he was adamant about shielding her from did not sit well with her at all. The anger she was still feeling was swiftly becoming all tangled up in her concern for his safety.

Jack's voice broke into her thoughts again. "When's the baby due?"

Connie couldn't help but smile. "November," she said. "We weren't hiding it, not really. We were planning on telling you after the ultrasound at my next appointment," she explained.

Jack waved her explanation away. He reached out and took her hand where it lay on the table. "Congratulations," he said sincerely.

Connie smiled her thanks as Jack's secretary knocked on the door. She informed them that the police were enroute to the school and Rick Benson's parents were being brought in for questioning. Jack gave Connie a pointed look. "You have some work to do. FInish up with Maura Scott, then go to the 2-7 to talk to Rick Benson's parents." Connie nodded in assent as she gathered her things. "And Connie?" She looked up at Jack as he strode toward the door. "Let me know when you hear from Mike."

* * *

Connie sat and watched as Rick Benson's parents were escorted from the interview room when her phone buzzed. Suddenly glad to be alone in the room she shut the door as she pushed the button to take the call.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yes. Benson's in custody. There are three injuries, but nothing severe," Mike told her warily, trying to gauge her level of anger with him. "We're on our way back to the 2-7, then I'll head back to the office."

"I'm already here at the precinct," Connie told him. "Jack sent me down when they brought Benson's parents in."

Mike nodded, even though he knew she couldn't see. "I guess I'll see you in a few minutes then."

"I guess you will," she agreed.

* * *

Mike saw Connie before she realized he had arrived at the 27th precinct. He watched through the slats of the blinds on the windows in Anita Van Buren's office where Connie sat organizing the notes she had taken during her interview with the Bensons. Mike cautiously knocked on the door before sticking his head in.

"Can I come in?" he asked hesitantly.

Connie placed the pen down on top of the notepad on which she had been writing, gesturing to the other empty seat next to her in front of the lieutenant's desk. Mike took the seat, and for a long moment they just stared at each other. Finally, Mike broke the silence.

"Still mad at me?"

"A little," Connie answered honestly.

Mike sighed, trying to find the right words to dig himself out of the hole he'd landed in. "Connie," he began.

"Look, I get it," Connie said, cutting him off with a wave of her hand. "I understand why you didn't want me there, and I can even appreciate it."

Mike looked at her with wide eyes. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as he thought.

"What I don't understand is how you could think for one minute that I would be okay with you running off to a school that someone is threatening to blow up." Mike looked down sheepishly as she continued. "You just walked out without giving it a second thought! You're so worried about something happening to me, but I'm not allowed to worry about something happening to you? How dare you? How dare you think that I need you less than you need me! I need you, and this baby needs a father!"

Mike gazed at her. "I love you, too," he finally said quietly, "and you're right and I'm sorry."

Connie just shook her head, dropping her eyes down to the notepad in her lap, pretending to read over her notes. But Mike thought he could see the slightest beginnings of a smile cross her lips. Without looking up, Connie added nonchalantly, "Jack knows about the baby."

Mike's eyebrows rose in surprise at both her change in subject and her words. "How?"

Connie finally met his eyes again with a shrug. "He guessed. He must have overheard our argument before you left and he came to talk to me. He even took your side."

Mike nodded. "Well, I guess we were planning to tell him soon anyway." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe we can tell everyone at the party tonight," Mike suggested, before adding almost hopefully, "unless you don't want to go."

Connie shook her head. "Oh no we're going," she told him, then emphasized, " **you're** going, and you're going to be sociable. Anita deserves our support."

Mike just nodded in agreement, knowing she was right. He had just regained his footing with Anita Van Buren after the case involving Hema Labs. He would like to stay there. And it probably wouldn't hurt to acquiesce to Connie's wishes after today's excitement.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Detective Bernard leaned his head around the door frame to let them know that Rick Benson had been officially charged and was awaiting transport to Rikers. They both smiled at him with a nod, glad that this part of the case was closed.

* * *

Mike held the door to the Reade Street Bar open as Connie entered in front of him. They made their way through the crowd to find the gathering of cops, lawyers, even the Medical Examiner and the chief of Ds was there. Everyone together to support Anita Van Buren. Mike glanced at the plastic water cooler container that was now doubling as a donation collection center. It was quickly nearing half full. Jack, he knew, would be dropping in the sizable donation that had been collected from the employees of 1 Hogan Place soon if he hadn't already. Mike saw their boss beginning to make his way in their direction as Connie spoke to him quietly. "I'll get us some drinks."

"Thanks babe," Mike murmured with a smiled. Connie returned his smile, feeling a little thrill course through her as she always did when he uttered the term of endearment. He used it sparingly, and this was the first time when they weren't alone.

Jack came to Mike's side, both of them watching Connie's retreating form as she made her way through the crowd toward the bar, stopping along the way to say hello to different acquaintances. Jack then turned his eyes to Mike, "I understand congratulations are in order for you two."

Mike smiled tightly, reaching to take Jack's outstretched hand. "Thanks Jack," he said simply.

"She's doing alright?" Jack asked, gesturing to where Connie was waiting for the drink orders at the bar.

Mike smiled again. "She's doing amazing."

Jack just smiled, thinking, _Oh, he's got it bad!_ as Detectives Lupo and Bernard joined them at the same time as Connie returned with the drinks. "Detectives, you've had a busy day, I'd say," Jack observed.

Lupo and Bernard exchanged rueful looks of agreement. "It was a little more exciting than the average day," Bernard agreed.

"But it sounds like it could have been a lot worse," Connie added.

Lupo nodded in agreement. "There were three gunshot injuries. Nothing critical." He shrugged slightly. "We got lucky."

"Luck was only part of it detectives," Jack told him seriously, then looked around at all four of them in turn. "You did good, all of you."

"Thanks," Lupo said quietly on behalf of all of them. At that moment Bernard saw his lieutenant making her way through the crowd.

"Hey, there she is! The party girl!" The assembled crowd erupted in cheers and applause as Anita made her way to the center of the group. She surveyed the water cooler "piggy bank" with some skepticism.

"You don't really think you're going to fill that thing?"

At that moment, Chief Laird stepped forward, pulling an envelope from the pocket inside his suit coat. He held it up, gesturing toward her before dropping it in with the other donations. "I got three checks in here. One's from the people in my office, the other's from the police commissioner, and the third one's from the mayor. You got a lot of friends, lieutenant."

The cheers rose from the crowd again. Anita looked at a loss for words for a moment. "Thank you, you guys are too much," she finally said. She paused for a moment, then put her arm around the man by her side. "Um, before I forget, everyone this is my boyfriend, Frank Gibson."

Glasses were raised around the room in greeting, but Frank glanced down at Anita questioningly. "Boyfriend?" he asked.

"Right," Anita nodded her head resolutely before once again addressing the crowd. "As of this afternoon, Frank is my fiancee." The crowd once again erupted in happy cheers, many of them coming forward to offer a handshake to Frank and a hug to Anita. Mike was one of the first to reach her to congratulate her, and they shared a warm hug. Jack was just leaning in to kiss her cheek when Anita's cell phone rang and she excused herself to take the call.

After introducing himself and exchanging handshakes with Frank, Mike made his way over to the bar where Connie was talking with Cyrus Lupo and took his place at her side. Cyrus began to tell Mike the story of how he had really stepped in it with one of his law professors. They we're all sharing a good laugh when Bernard's voice rang out, quieting the crowd.

"Hey, people, listen up! Lieu's got something to say!"

There were some chuckles, then the crowd grew silent. Anita seemed overcome with emotion as she took a deep breath and began to speak.

"I'm not going to make a big speech here. I wasn't exactly thrilled when I heard about this little gathering, but I want to just take a minute and say, to all of you, from the bottom of my heart, thank you." Her voice broke on the last word. Frank came up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Tell them your good news," he encouraged her.

Anita looked out at the sea of faces, several of them now looking expectantly. "That call I just got was from my doctor," she began, then added with emotion, "I'm officially in remission."

The room erupted in wild celebration one more time. The jovial feeling continued on into the evening. As the crowd was finally beginning to disperse, Connie was sitting alone at a table, taking a moment to get off her feet

Anita came and joined her. Connie immediately reached out to hug the older woman. "I'm so happy for you!" Connie told her with excitement. "Have you and Frank set a wedding date?"

"Oh Lord no," Anita laughed. "It's taken him months of hinting around about it to just get to this point, but I imagine things will move a little more quickly now." She looked at Connie, leaning in closer and arching a brow. "What about you?" she said before casting an obvious glance over to the bar where Mike stood talking to Kevin and Frank.

Connie dropped her head almost bashfully. She knew that her relationship with Mike was pretty much common knowledge at this point. "I suspect we'll get there sooner or later ourselves."

"So it's the real deal, then?" Anita asked.

Connie nodded immediately in confirmation. "It's the real deal," she said with a smile.

* * *

When Mike found Connie practically dozing off at the table he decided it was time for them both to call it a night. Connie wanted to walk in the warm spring night, but Mike insisted they take a cab back to her apartment. They made it upstairs and Connie was hardly able to remove her makeup and change into her pajamas before she crawled into bed next to Mike. She snuggled up next to him, laying her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

"I think we made the right decision," Connie told him sleepily, "about waiting to tell about the baby."

Mike ran his hand gently up and down her arm, hoping to help sooth her to sleep. "Well, you were right. It was Anita's night after all. No need for us to steal any of her thunder."

"Hmm," Connie hummed in answer. "It was a good night."

"It was," Mike agreed. He was silent for a moment, then added in a hushed tone, "I am sorry about earlier today. It's just, the thought of something happening to you, to the baby," he paused, "it scares me to death Connie."

Connie sat up and kissed him tenderly. "I understand that, because I feel the same way."

"If it makes you feel any better," Mike told her sheepishly, "Lupo and Bernard stuck me in a patrol car that parked a half a block away from the school when we finally got there."

Connie snickered slightly, "It does, actually." She snuggled back into him again, closing her eyes with a sigh.

"So we'll make a deal," Mike said. "No more unnecessary risks. For either of us."

"I'm going to hold you to that," Connie told him as she drifted off to sleep in his arms.

"I hope you do," Mike whispered, kissing the top of her head as he closed his eyes and added, "for as long as we both shall live."

* * *

 _And thus ends our journey through season 20! Fear not- I have lots of ideas for my own little head canon world of what's next. That's the good news. The bad news is that my pesky "real life" has become crazy busy as of late and will continue so for the next few weeks, so I may not be able to keep up with adding new chapters once a week. I have the rest of the story all mapped out, so it WILL be finished I can promise that. I am so very appreciative of everyone who is reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting this little story. I am grateful to you all!_


	15. Chapter 15

_You guys should be glad I'm such a procrastinator. I have a whole lotta reports I should be working on for my job, but this was just so much more fun to write instead….It's Connie's birthday! Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

 _Chapter 15 - JUNE 2010_

Mike Cutter walked through the doors of the Tiffany and Co. flagship store on 5th Avenue feeling decidedly out of his element. The high end jewelry store was a place he had never been before. He stood just inside the door for a few moments, trying to get his bearings. He was looking for something special for Connie. Her birthday was coming up next week and he wanted to surprise her. Mike knew what he was looking for, but it had to be just perfect. They had been slammed at work during the past couple of weeks as May turned into June Their latest case had started out as a murder for hire. As they continued to investigate, they uncovered more and more evidence that was leading them to believe that something much worse - a connection to the Russian mob - was at work. They were getting closer and closer to proving the link and possibly making an arrest, but it had been slow going and this case was eating up a lot of time in their work day. Which wouldn't have been a problem, had it been the only thing on their caseload. And while Mike was exhausted, Connie had finally reached that magic three month mark in her pregnancy. They had both been thrilled with the ultrasound earlier in the week. Mike was still in awe later that evening as they looked at the grainy images of their little lemon sucking it's thumb on the printouts that the technician had sent them home with. Connie commented that she would need to start putting together a baby memory book soon.

The beginning of Connie's second trimester of pregnancy had also heralded the end of morning sickness and a surge in energy. With her doctor's blessing, Connie had found a prenatal yoga class that she was able to fit into her schedule two mornings and one afternoon a week. She had been consistently successful in convincing Mike to accompany her on a half hour walk on at least two other days of the week. He marveled at the changes in her body. While her baby bump was still not especially noticeable to the general population, especially with some creative wardrobe choices on Connie's part, Mike took every opportunity to observe it. After reading in one of his books that they had reached the stage of pregnancy where the baby could start to hear muffled sounds from the world outside, Mike began talking to and, much to Connie's delight, singing to the baby. With tears of joy at how much she loved this man springing to her eyes, she ran her fingers gently through his hair as he lay propped on a pillow next to her, thinking if she were to go to work and tell this story of Assistant District Attorney Michael Cutter singing to their unborn child, no one was likely to believe it.

They had also begun to have some serious discussions about some of the items on their "things we have to figure out before the baby comes" list. All of those things that in the initial panic and excitement of discovering Connie was pregnant, they had conveniently decided to just push to the background for the time being: telling their families, finding a place to live, telling people at work. Jack knew about the baby, and as far as Mike was concerned, that was the only person who really needed to know. Connie argued that the rest of the office was going to find out eventually, and she would rather it be on their terms rather than through the typical workplace water cooler gossip.

Telling their families was going to be, logistically at least, easier. Connie's family had invited them for a cookout for the fourth of July. All of her brothers and sisters would be there, so it would be the perfect time to spread the news. Mike was still hesitant about telling his own mother. Connie had yet to even meet her in person, though she had spoken to her on the phone. Connie kept hinting to Mike that the summer would be an ideal time for a trip to Connecticut to visit her.

One thing they were in complete agreement on was finding a new place. They were practically living together the way it was, and while their respective apartments weren't too terribly far from one another, shuttling back and forth between two places was at times a bit chaotic. Mike had started to pay closer attention to the real estate listings in the newspaper, following up any potential leads with some research online. Connie paid closer attention to the town houses and brownstones available during her walks. A new place for their new family, a place that would not be "his" or "hers," but "theirs," was an exciting prospect for both of them.

"Mr. Cutter?"

Mike's thoughts were interrupted when he heard his name. An attractive African American lady, probably in her early thirties, was heading his way with a welcoming smile on her face. "Hello," she said as she reached him, extending her hand. "My name is Michele. I'll be helping you with your shopping today."

Mike smiled back as he shook her hand, suddenly very glad that he had taken Kevin Bernard's advice and made an appointment for a personal shopper to assist him. Just standing in the jewelry store was overwhelming. "Thank you," Mike told her.

Michele nodded, gesturing ahead as they began to move away from the entrance. "I've reviewed the details of what you are looking for, and I have a few already pulled out from display that I think you and your girlfriend will love."

Mike nodded and followed her on through the store.

* * *

Mike had been dropping hints all week about surprises for Connie's birthday, and it was driving her crazy! Secretly, she wondered if this would be the night he would officially propose. The moment the thought crossed her mind, she just as quickly dismissed it. She knew that Mike wanted to make his marriage proposal a surprise, and she figured that asking on her birthday just wouldn't cut it for him. A small part or her was also making this argument in an attempt not to get her hopes up too high that he would go ahead and ask. She took a deep breath as she smoothed her hands over the material of the dress she had changed into after work. She knew it was a dress Mike particularly liked as of late, as it clung in just the right way as to show off her growing baby bump. It also fit the criteria of "dressy casual" that was all he would tell her about how to dress for their evening. She smiled, knowing their "happily ever after" was well underway whether a proposal came tonight or not. She rolled her eyes as she slid a pair of gold hoop earrings into her ears. _Happily ever after?_ she thought. _When did I become such a romantic?_ She had just finished fastening both earrings when the email alert on her phone sounded. She picked it up from the dresser and glanced quickly, seeing it was an email from Lupo. Probably just a status update on their Russian mob investigation. Nothing that needed to be dealt with right at the moment. She heard her apartment door open and close, followed by Mike's voice.

"Connie? Are you here?"

Connie smiled as she called back, "Yep, I'll be out in just a sec." She took one last look in the mirror, smoothing her hands over her hair, then over her belly before turning to join him in the living room.

When Mike had begun planning their evening to celebrate Connie's thirty-first birthday, he realized that they didn't really do this very often. Their work schedules didn't really afford them much opportunity to go out on proper dates. As he watched her walk toward him from her bedroom he instantly decided that as much as he disliked socializing in general, this was perhaps a terrible oversight that he would need to take great measures to correct in the future, if it meant more opportunities to take this beautiful woman out on the town.

"Wow," he said, shaking his head. "You look...wow."

Connie chuckled at him. "Aww," she said, leaning in to kiss his cheek, "and people are always talking about how eloquent you are in court."

"Ha ha," Mike said, sliding one arm around her waist and bringing his other hand to rest on her midsection as he leaned closer to kiss her gently. "Happy birthday. You look beautiful."

She kissed him quickly once more and whispered, "Thank you," then glanced over his shoulder, her eyes widening in surprise. "Mike!" she exclaimed, moving over to bury her nose in the large vase of red roses and white honeysuckle that was now perched on the table just inside her door.

"You like 'em?" Mike asked, silently pleased with himself. He rocked back and forth on his toes, hands in his pockets. "They are the official June birthday flowers."

Connie smiled at him, taking in the fragrance of the beautiful flowers one more time before moving back into his arms. "I love them," she told him as her lips danced over his once more. "This is turning out to be the most fantastic birthday ever."

Mike looked at her with a wink, "And it's just getting started."

* * *

Connie was continually impressed with Mike's surprises throughout the evening. They started off with dinner at Robert, with a breathtaking view of Columbus Circle from atop the Museum and Art and Design. After a generous slice of their famous Molten Chocolate Cake with raspberry jam, Connie was stuffed. She and Mike wandered hand in hand through Columbus Circle under the stars for nearly an hour afterwards, before he told her it was time to head back to her apartment for her present. She protested that he had done enough already, that he was spoiling her. They reached her apartment, where she promptly shed her shoes and Mike directed her to sit on the couch as he made his way back to her bedroom.

"Wait a minute?" Connie called after him. "My birthday present has been here all this time?"

Mike reappeared with a signature blue box from Tiffany and Co. He shrugged. "Yep, for over a week now. Hiding in plain sight." He sat down next to her and held out the box. "Happy birthday."

Connie looked at him admonishingly. "Mike, Tiffany's? This had to have cost you a fortune," she said. She could already tell from the size of the box she now held in her hands that it was probably some kind of necklace.

He shrugged again. "Let's just say it's making up for the past three birthdays that I've known you and really wanted to get you something special, but just didn't think it was appropriate."

She just shook her head at him as she opened the box with a gasp. "Oh Mike, it's gorgeous!" Connie exclaimed as she ran her fingers over the delicate necklace. It was a sterling silver chain in a lariat style. Along the chain in an alternating pattern were silky white pearls and brilliant baby blue stones. "These pearls, I know they're my birthstone. But what are the other stones?" she asked.

"Blue topaz," Mike said quietly. "It's the baby's birthstone." Connie immediately looked up at him, a look of wonder in her eyes as he continued, "Well, assuming everything goes on schedule and he or she arrives in November. My personal shopper Michele assured me that if the baby comes early or late I can bring it back and have the stones replaced with October or December birthstones."

If Connie hadn't loved the necklace before, she surely did now, if for no other reason than the thought that Mike put into finding a beautiful piece of jewelry that incorporated both her birthstone and the baby's. She carefully placed the box in her lap, then leaned forward, placing her hands on Mike's cheeks to kiss him soundly. "I love it so much, and I love you even more," she told him as she kissed him again.

"Happy birthday, babe," Mike said, gently pushing her hair behind her ear. Connie handed him the necklace, then turned so he could help her fasten the clasp. As he finished, Mike placed a kiss on the back of her neck before she turned back around. Connie lovingly brushed her fingers over the necklace, more precious to her than any diamond as Mike continued. "I forgot to have them put a candle in your piece of cake earlier. You didn't get to make a wish."

Connie just looked at him, a loving smile on her face as she told him genuinely, "I don't need to make a birthday wish. They are all already coming true."

* * *

 _So, lots and lots of fluff in this chapter, I know. But there are a few little things that will play into the next chapter. The inspiration for this whole chapter comes from the fact that Connie Rubirosa's accessorizing is always so on point. Hats and necklaces especially, the girl's got game! As I was re-watching the episodes to write the first part of this story, I found myself thinking - I wonder where that necklace came from? I wonder if Mike got one of those for her?_

 _Also, the part about Mike singing to the baby? If you google "Linus Roache Mandy Soundtrack" you can hear him sing! (granted it's not at all a lullaby. It's actually kind of a creep-tastic song from his newest movie, a horror flick with Nic Cage. Anyone seen "Mandy"?)_


	16. Chapter 16

_So much lovey doveyness in the last chapter. But into each life, a little drama must fall….even in fanfiction. Fasten your seat belts!_

* * *

Chapter 16

Mike Cutter walked through the doors of the emergency room of Mercy Hospital in a daze. He felt as if his heart might beat out of his chest. He had no awareness of anything going on around him: not Jack following close behind him, as he had been since they had received the call that Mike needed to come to the hospital as soon as possible. Not Anita Van Buren already standing in the waiting room near the information desk, a somber look on her face. Not the general commotion that one would find in a major metropolitan emergency room on any given evening. All that mattered to Mike was one thing-

 _I have to see her. I have to know that they are okay._

It finally dawned on him that to accomplish this one, most important goal, he would have to talk to someone. Mike stopped abruptly, turning a complete 360 degrees as he looked around him, suddenly at a loss for what to do next. He felt Jack's hand on his shoulder, steering him toward the nurse sitting at the information desk. Jack urged him forward, but it was Mike who spoke in an unsteady voice.

"I'm looking for a patient. Consuela Rubirosa."

The nurse looked up at him, then glanced down at the computer screen in front of her, her fingers flying across the keyboard. She stared at the computer for what seemed to Mike to be hours, but was really only a matter of seconds.

"I'm sorry sir. We don't have anyone here by that name."

Mike felt like he had been physically punched. "No, no, no!" he started shaking his head adamantly. "She's got to be here! They told me she was here!"

The nurse began typing on her keyboard again as Mike paced away, unable to stand still a moment longer. He didn't notice Van Buren coming forward to speak to the nurse, telling her that she had been contacted by her own detectives who were on the scene when Connie was finally found, when the paramedics arrived and told them they were heading to Mercy Hospital, as it was the closest emergency room. The nurse was on the phone, trying to sort things out, but once again, Mike paid no attention. After wandering the area in front of the desk, he finally sank down wearily into one of the chairs near a window, putting his hand to his lips and staring out at the rain lightly falling in the twilight. He had long ago abandoned his suit jacket and tie. His shirt was wrinkled, as he'd been wearing it now for over twenty-four hours, sleeves rolled up and pushed up past his elbows. He let out a shaky breath, running his hand through his hair and thinking back over the past few weeks, and especially the past day and a half, that had brought him to this moment of pure hell.

* * *

They had gone back to work after spending the weekend celebrating Connie's birthday, and dove right back into the investigation into Russian mob ties that they had uncovered in their latest case. Connie had received an email from Detective Lupo that Friday night, but hadn't taken the time to really read it until Sunday afternoon. They were connecting more of the dots in the case, and Lupo felt that they would be ready to make an arrest the next week. What had started out as a murder for hire case soon developed many more layers. They had uncovered a vast ring of extortion, racketeering, illegal gambling, firearm offenses, narcotics trafficking, wire fraud, credit card fraud, identity theft, and fraud on casino slot machines using electronic hacking devices. All with a man named Kazimir Orlov at the center. It took some time to track him down, but they finally found him and made the arrest. But instead of being the end of the case, it proved to be only the beginning of a nightmare.

Connie had appeared on behalf of the people of New York at Orlov's arraignment hearing. Nothing unusual occurred during the proceedings. She barely noticed the large assemblage of people in the gallery. While arraignments didn't often draw the kinds of crowds that an actual trial did, it wasn't unheard of for people to attend. Especially in this case, when despite their best efforts to keep the media out, they had picked up the juicy story of a notorious Russian mobster being brought to justice and ran with it.

The defendant was remanded to Attica and a trial date was set. It was in the days after that things started happening that, with the benefit of hindsight, Mike could only wish he had paid more attention to. First it was the phone calls. Connie's phone seemed to ring constantly. She would glance at the screen, then seeing the "restricted number" message, push a button to decline the call and send it to her voicemail. The caller never left a message. When the calls started coming to her home phone as well, it did stick in Mike's mind, but he never really saw it as something to be concerned about.

But now, he knew, there were other things that had happened. Things that Connie had not told him about. The time she was leaving her prenatal yoga class one evening, to find two large and rather ominous looking men blocking her path as she turned onto the sidewalk. She tried to step around them, but they did not move. She looked up and met their eyes, saying, "Excuse me,"

Finally the two men moved just enough that Connie could pass between them. She heard one of them say in a low voice, "Izvinite menya simpatichnaya ledi." Connie's eyes widened. While she didn't know what he had said, she knew immediately that the words the man spoke were Russian. She hurried on her way, her heart beat increasing. She had her suspicions that this could be related to the Orlov case. But then the phone calls stopped. She was able to convince herself that the encounter outside of her class was just a coincidence. So though she had some small, lingering concerns in the back of her mind, she never mentioned it to Mike.

Two weeks later, Connie could only wish that she had taken her persistent doubts a little more seriously. She was once again leaving the studio where her yoga class met, early in the morning this time. Still dressed in her workout clothes, she was rooting around in her bag as she walked, searching for her cell phone to call Mike. He was just getting out of the shower as she left earlier that morning, so she wasn't worried about waking him. She wanted to tell him that she needed to run back to her apartment to pick up a forgotten file, and would just shower there before heading into the courthouse where she was scheduled to appear in court that morning before coming to the office. She also wanted to tell him about the beautiful brownstone she had seen while searching online that morning as she passed time for a few minutes waiting for her class to start. Connie was certain she could convince Mike to accompany her to see it during the upcoming weekend. Her eyes were downcast, so she did not see the man in her path, or the one coming up behind her, until it was too late. Things just happened too quickly, and by the time she realized what was happening as the larger of the two men took her arm on the side not holding her bag, it was already too late. It probably appeared to the average onlooker that the gentleman was just accompanying her. Before Connie could open her mouth to scream, she felt the sting of a needle pierce the flesh of her upper arm as the man tightened his hold on her as she lost her footing, the man trailing behind coming up to take her other arm as they steered her into an alley where she was lifted into a van and driven away.

* * *

The first sign of trouble came from Jack. He was waiting in Mike's office when he arrived back from a meeting at the US Attorney's Office. Mike was surprised by this, and even more so by the troubled look on Jack's face.

"Connie didn't make it to her arraignment hearing this morning," Jack said gravely.

Mike was stunned. "What?" he asked.

"She was supposed to appear at Jacobsen's arraignment hearing at 9 this morning," Jack explained. "We received word from the court officer. She didn't make it."

Mike's thoughts were immediately racing a mile a minute. He grabbed his phone before Jack could continue and hit the speed dial button to call Connie. He turned away from Jack, trying to hide his rising concern. This was not like Connie at all. His head dropped in defeat as the call went straight to voicemail.

"When was the last time you talked to her?" Jack asked from behind him.

Mike turned, his mouth hanging open. "Uh," he shook his head for a moment, trying to focus on Jack's question and think back over their morning. "Uh, this morning. She left for her yoga class about a quarter to 6." He looked at Jack. "What do I do?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Jack put an arm on Mike's shoulder. "The detectives are already working on it," he told him. "We need to go down to the 27th precinct and talk to them."

Mike nodded his head, letting Jack lead him toward the elevator and out of the building. He tried calling Connie's phone five more times in the car on the ride to the 2-7, with no luck. He was starting to fear the worst, but tried to let his legal training take over. He knew that the detectives would need every detail he could give them, so he tried to replay their morning in his mind, looking for anything that he may have missed. There wasn't too much that he could tell them really. He and Connie woke with the same alarm at 5:30. She quickly dressed in her workout gear and downed a bowl of oatmeal while he showered. She stopped in the bathroom to kiss him quickly as he was shaving before she left for her class, telling him she would see him at the office later on that morning.

When they arrived at the precinct, he relayed all of these details to Lupo and Bernard. There was no need to convince anyone that Connie had disappeared of her own free will. No one believed that for a second. They made a plan to search the area around the yoga studio once Mike gave them the address. They left with a promise to keep him updated as soon as they had any information. Mike was feeling lost. Jack shepherded him back to Hogan Place, but even being in the familiar surroundings didn't help. He was agitated and unable to sit still, stalking around his office. Jack had just entered and was about to ask if there were any developments when Mike's phone rang. He glanced down and saw the familiar name and number and gasped as he answered the call. "Connie?"

The voice that answered, though, was not Connie's. "Zdravstvuyte," the deep male voice said, "Hello Mr. Lawyer." Mike recognized the Russian accent immediately. "You would like to see your pretty lady friend again, yes?"

"Where is she?!" Mike yelled into the phone. "What have you done to her?"

"She is safe, for now," the voice answered. "The little one, is yours?"

Mike didn't answer. He suddenly felt like he might vomit as the voice continued. "For many weeks we have been watching her, since the time that she put our comrade Kazimir in jail." Mike sank down into the chair behind his desk, looking over at Jack who had quickly picked up on what was going on and was already on his own phone with Anita Van Buren. "We will do whatever is necessary to protect our own family. Tell me, Mr. Cutter, will you do the same for yours?"

And with that, the line went dead.

From there, a flurry of activity followed. Mike and Jack made their way back to the 2-7. The detectives wanted Mike's cell phone, but they had also recovered video surveillance from near the yoga studio that showed Connie being kidnapped by two men. Mike watched the video over and over, staring at the silent, grainy image of Connie looking through her bag, of Connie being grabbed by the men, of the look of fear on her face as she tried in the split second before the needle pierced her skin to struggle out of his grasp. Kevin Bernard and Cyrus Lupo stood behind him. They could see Connie emerge from the yoga studio still dressed in her workout clothes, which were tighter than her everyday clothes. Without really thinking, Lupo asked out loud, "Whoa! Is she…"

He caught himself before he finished the question, but Mike answered anyway as he turned to make his way toward the door. "Yes, she's pregnant." Lupo and Bernard just exchanged startled looks as their distraught friend slammed the door open.

Mike walked out of the room, directly to the mens' restroom, where he proceeded to lose the contents of his stomach.

* * *

Connie looked again around the room. The furniture was old and shabby. There was no air conditioning, so she felt like she was on fire in the sweltering heat on this last day of June. Her captors had mostly left her alone, coming in periodically with water. They had yet to ask her any questions, but she knew exactly what was going on. This all had to be connected to the Orlov case. She thought back to all the phone calls, the run in outside of her yoga class, and just the uneasy feeling that she'd had over the past few weeks that she was being watched. Why hadn't she mentioned any of this to Mike? Hadn't they just made a deal with each other - no unnecessary risks? Connie hadn't kept up her end of the bargain, and now she and their baby were both in danger. She knew Mike would be looking for her, that he would be consumed with fear, worry, and anger, much like she herself was. These thoughts were foremost in her mind when the door swing open.

"We just talked to your boyfriend on phone," the man who had first grabbed Connie, she now knew his name was Vasiliy, sneered. "He will soon give us what we want."

Connie, overcome with anger at the thought of this monster toying with Mike, stood from her seat to yell in Vasiliy's face. "He will never do that!"

She didn't see him raise his hand to her until it was too late, but she felt the blow as soon as it came, knocking her back where her head impacted against the wall behind her.

* * *

The day stretched on into the night. Mike kept his phone in his hand, hoping beyond hope that it would ring again, hoping for any word. The only time he had tied up the line was when he made a call that he dreaded but knew he absolutely needed to make - to Connie's mother. He replayed the conversation. She was, understandably, very upset. But Mike thought back to the way that Rosa had ended the conversation.

 _"Michael, dear, I know how much you love my daughter, and I know how much she loves you. She has so much to live for, and she is a fighter. She will fight to come back to you."_

A search of Connie's phone records showed the abundance of missed calls over the past several weeks. A review of the security cameras outside the yoga studio showed the encounter from a few weeks ago, showed the same two men who had grabbed Connie this morning, as well as many other times when they had followed her at a distance as she left her class. They had accessed security footage from Connie's apartment building, and Mike felt sick again when the two menacing Russians showed up several times following Connie home. There were more questions for Mike, but very few answers. If Connie had any concerns, she had not voiced them to him. Mike knew one of the things he loved most about Connie was her strength and her independence. But would those two traits be the reason he lost her now? He was consumed with worry, and he was angry. Why hadn't she told him? Why hadn't they paid more attention to the constant calls? Why hadn't he had the good sense to know that he needed to protect her when he realized that they were dealing with the Russian Mob?

Jack appeared next to him, a cup of coffee in his hand. He set it down in front of Mike, who just continued to stare straight ahead.

"I don't suppose it would do any good to suggest that you eat something?" Jack asked.

Mike shook his head without blinking. "Jack, I can't..." he trailed off, his voice breaking.

"Mike, the detectives are going to work around the clock." He tried to sound encouraging, but in the back of his mind all he could think of was Alex Borgia, the last second chair ADA who had worked with him before Connie. Alex, who had been kidnapped, beaten, and murdered. Jack knew that Mike was already working in the DA's office when that tragedy occurred, and he couldn't help but wonder if the details weren't weighing heavily on his mind right now as well.

His suspicions were confirmed when Mike choked out, "Jack, I can't lose her." He looked up at Jack with watery eyes. "I can't lose _them_ ," he said, emphasizing the last word as he dropped his head once again.

Jack looked at his ADA, a man he had come to think of in a decidedly paternal way over the course of their working relationship. He couldn't have been happier to learn that Mike and Connie were together, and to hear that they were expecting a baby. He saw in them everything he had once dreamed of having with Claire Kincaid.

He placed a calming hand on Mike's shoulder, hoping silently that Mike and Connie's story would have a different ending than his and Claire's.

Suddenly, Anita knocked on the door. "My detectives think they have one of the men who took Connie," she told them. "They're bringing him in now."

* * *

Mike watched with barely controlled rage as the detectives questioned Vasiliy Gorchenko. They seemed to be getting nowhere fast. They had brought in a translator to speak to the Russian, but he simply looked back at them with a sick smile, saying, "God bless America," as a way of letting them know that he did, indeed, speak and understand English.

Mike wanted in that interrogation room, but Anita had quickly and emphatically told him that was not going to happen. Truth be told, he wanted to go in there and wrap his hands around the man's neck and squeeze until he told them where Connie was, then continue squeezing until he had squeezed the life from him. But he could only watch as Lupo and Bernard hammered away at the suspect. This was personal for them too, Mike knew. But there was no one in the world who could possibly want Connie back safe more than Mike did.

The questioning went on throughout the night. Finally, after about six hours, Gorchenko was starting to break. They had discovered that he had family still in Russia that he was hoping to bring to the US. Bernard assured him that with his current situation, if he refused to help them, that would never happen. He laid out the list of charges that they currently had against Orlov, telling Gorchenko that he would go down right alongside his fearless leader for all of them, with the added benefit of charges of kidnapping, assault, attempted murder. Kevin could not bring himself to say a murder charge would be added if anything happened to Connie or the baby. He knew Mike was listening from the other side of the wall. He knew Mike probably had the thought in his mind, but Kevin just could not say the words. Lupo added that with the power that Orlov had in their organization, there was no reason to believe that he wouldn't maneuver things so that Gorchenko took the fall for everything on his own. This, at last, was what got through to him, because he knew how true it was. He finally started talking, and within the hour a team had been mobilized. Mike begged and pleaded to go along with them, but he was denied. He and Jack had been told to wait at their office for Van Buren's call. When it finally came, they were gone like a shot, on their way to Mercy Hospital. Throughout the trip, Mike silently whispered a litany of prayers to a God he hadn't talked to since he was a child.

"Mr. Cutter?" a voice brought him immediately back to the emergency department waiting room. He looked up, seeing a young female doctor in green scrubs looking around the waiting room.

"Here!" he said, springing immediately from his seat and walking toward the doctor, Jack and Anita following along behind him. "I'm Mike Cutter."

"Mr. Cutter, I'm Dr. Patel," she said. "I want to give you some information about Connie Rubirosa."

"Is she here? Is she okay?" Mike interrupted. The doctor held up her hands to quiet him.

"She was just brought in. We've just started her on IV fluids to help re-hydrate her. We've drawn some blood to check to see if the drugs they gave her are still in her system. She is awake and alert. She has some bruising and abrasions, and a possible concussion that we need to keep an eye on. There are no signs of sexual assault or any other kind of trauma."

Mike interrupted, "She's pregnant. What about the baby?"

Behind him, Anita Van Buren's jaw dropped as she looked over at Jack. Jack simply nodded his head silently before he focused once again on the doctor's words.

"Someone from OB is on their way down. They will do a complete examination and probably do an ultrasound," the doctor told him. "Connie asked us to bring you back for that."

Mike's shoulders visibly sagged with relief at the prospect. "Yes I… I need to see her." The doctor gestured toward the door, Mike following. He paused and glanced back at Jack and Anita as he waited for the doctor to scan them through the security door. They both smiled at him encouragingly as he followed the doctor through the door.

* * *

Mike was handed off to a nurse who took him through a maze of curtained areas before they finally arrived at a room with a sign labeled "Trauma 1.". The nurse saw Mike's eyes widen slightly at the signage and was quick to reassure him in a surprising southern accent. "Oh don't you worry, honey. She's only in here to give y'all a little privacy when OB gets here." She smiled as she held the door open. Mike entered and stopped for a second just inside the door. The room was dark except for one light mounted on the wall over and behind the bed. Connie lay with her head propped up slightly on the bed, her dark hair fanned out against the white pillow. Her head was turned away from the door and the bustling noise of the hallway beyond it. Her eyes were closed, and it took Mike only a moment to realize she was sleeping. He quietly made his way to her bedside, taking in the bandage on her forehead and the bruise on her cheek. He tenderly brushed back her hair that was falling over the bandage, whispering, "Oh babe."

Connie gasped as she came awake at his touch. Her eyes snapped open in a panic as she turned toward him. Mike instantly pulled away, holding both hands up in a sign of surrender. "It's just me," he told her soothingly. "I'm sorry I scared you. You're okay. It's just me."

Connie immediately burst into tears. "Mike," she whispered. She reached out to him and he immediately gathered her into his arms. "I'm sorry," she said through her tears, clutching tightly to him, "I'm so sorry."

Mike held her close for a long moment, tears filling his own eyes. He finally pulled away to look in her eyes. "Connie, Connie, they got the guys who did this to you, so you don't have to be afraid." He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "I'm so glad you're okay, but I am so sorry this happened."

Connie dropped her eyes to where their hands were joined together, unable to meet his eyes as she spoke. She whispered in an unsteady voice, "Mike, I haven't felt the baby move for awhile."

Mike squeezed her hand, trying to tamp down his rising panic. He kissed her forehead again, then wiped away her tears. "It's going to be alright. The doctor said they are sending someone from OB to check everything out." His words were an attempt to calm himself as much as her. "Everything's going to be fine."

Connie was about to reply when the door swung open again. A tall African-American doctor entered, followed by a nurse pushing an equipment laden cart that Mike guessed was a portable ultrasound machine.

"Hi folks, I'm Dr. Randall from OB." He came to a stop at the bedside and reached out to shake both of their hands. He turned his eyes to Connie, smiling kindly. "So I hear you've had some excitement the past day or so." Connie just nodded, tears still trailing down her cheeks. "Well, let's see what's going on with your little one."

The nurse came over then, pushing the cart into place at the opposite side of the bed. Knowing that she was pregnant, Connie's hospital gown had been placed so that it opened in the front. The nurse pushed the gown open, exposing Connie's belly, then slathered gel on her abdomen. Connie winced slightly as the cold gel hit her belly. Mike gripped her hand tightly. The nurse handed the plastic transducer over to the doctor, who began to glide it over Connie's belly. The doctor was quiet for several minutes. Connie kept her eyes focused on Mike, afraid of what she might or might not see if she chanced a look at the screen on the cart. Mike's deep blue eyes stared right back into hers unwaveringly. He adjusted his grip on her hand, holding hers even tighter between both of his and bringing her hand to his lips as the seconds stretched into minutes. Finally, the doctor spoke.

"Still a few more things to check out, but first things first," he trailed off, directing their attention to the grainy, black and white image on the screen. And though neither Mike nor Connie were ultrasound experts, the tiny, fluttering image they saw on the screen was all but unmistakable. A second later, when the doctor added a fetal Doppler to Connie's belly and the room filled with a repetitive sound similar to a galloping horse, they both breathed audible sighs of relief that were confirmed by the doctor's words.

"Baby's got a strong heart, and it sounds just fine."

It was about twenty minutes later when Dr. Randall completed the ultrasound and pronounced that the baby was in good health. Dr. Patel also joined them to go over Connie's latest blood work, which brought more good news. Whatever she had been injected with had already cleared her system, and had no lasting effect on her or the baby. Dr. Patel told her she was still going to be admitted for observation for her concussion, and that she would soon be transferred to a room upstairs.

At last, Mike and Connie found themselves once again alone in the room. Mike tried to think of a flippant remark. Something like, she didn't have to go to such dramatic lengths to get them out of going to her family's 4th of July cookout coming up that weekend. But he was so relieved that she and the baby were alright, so overwhelmed by the events of the past day and a half, and so overcome with the exhaustion of having not slept the previous night, he couldn't say a word. Instead, he just buried his head in her shoulder and cried. Connie rested her cheek against his head as it shook with his sobs, and reached over to run a gentle, soothing hand through his hair, her own tears of relief joining his.

* * *

 _So this was my answer to the "How does everyone find out about the baby?" question. Connie and the baby are safe, but there's still more to come from this little twist in our story. Stay tuned! All of the Russian mob stuff and medical stuff was totally made up, and the Russian dialogue was courtesy of Google translate, so hopefully it's close to being correct. I'd love to hear what you think of this chapter!_


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17 - July 2010

Rosa Shearin made her way from the nurses' station toward the room she had just been directed to. She had been a little worried about coming to the hospital so late when she received the second phone call in the past twenty-four hours from her daughter's boyfriend. But as this call from Michael Cutter was bringing the good news that her Consuela had been found, there was really nothing anyone in this hospital or anywhere else could say or do to keep her away, whether it was after 9 pm or not.

Rosa peeked in the door of the dimly lit room, and couldn't help the slight smile that crossed her face. Connie was asleep, and though her mother could see obvious signs of the ordeal she had been through, she seemed to be resting peacefully for the moment. Rosa attributed that to the proximity of the man who was stationed right at her bedside. Mike was stretched out the best he could in what looked to be a horribly uncomfortable chair, also sound asleep.

Rosa silently crossed the room, just watching them both for a moment, until her eyes were drawn to the glossy, black and white photos on Connie's bedside table. Ultrasound photos, time stamped three hours earlier this evening, with Connie's name at the top.

 _Oh, I knew it!_ Rosa thought, and as she brought one of the pictures closer, she couldn't help the delighted chuckle that escaped her lips.

"Mama," Rosa heard Connie's voice whisper.

"Oh, mija," Rosa said, leaning over to press a kiss to Connie's unbruised cheek. "Michael called me. I am so glad you are okay."

Connie felt tears fill her eyes again. She was certain she would eventually run out of tears. She really wanted to spend no more time thinking or talking about the whole ordeal. She'd already given her statement to the police. Thankfully, Jack, Anita, Bernard, and Lupo - all of her "people"- had come so she only had to tell the story once, Mike holding tightly to her hand the entire time. She glanced over to where he was still sleeping in the chair, his head at an odd angle that she was sure would lead to a sore neck. She hadn't realized he had called her mother.

Connie's eyes returned to her mother, and to the picture she held in her hand. "Oh, Mom," Connie said. "Mom, I'm sorry. We," she broke off, glancing over at Mike. "We didn't want you to find out this way. I'm sorry. We were going to tell you this weekend."

Connie's mother sat down on the side of the bed. "Connie, honey," she said soothingly. "You don't have to apologize."

Connie's eyes dropped to her lap. "Are you disappointed in me?" she asked quietly.

Rosa almost laughed out loud, but refrained in deference to the sleeping man on the other side of her daughter's bed. "Disappointed? Consuela, never! Honey, you are an adult." Her mother placed a finger under her chin, raising her daughter's eyes to meet her own. "Let me ask you this, are you happy about this baby?"

"Oh, yes," Connie answered immediately.

Rosa nodded. "And do you love this man?" she asked, glancing at Mike.

Connie followed her eyes, smiling softly. "More than anything."

"I think I already know the answer to this question, but does he love you?"

Connie nodded, "Yes. He wants to marry me."

Rosa grabbed her daughter's hand and squeezed. "This baby is a blessing," she told Connie. "And I will be spoiling it mercilessly."

Connie laughed as another weight was lifted from her shoulders. "I think we'll both be okay with that," she said, smiling fondly in Mike's direction.

"He really is a very good man, isn't he?" Rosa asked.

"Yeah," Connie said quietly, "he is."

At that moment, Mike began to stir. Straightening his neck with a groan, he opened his eyes, sitting up and reaching automatically for Connie's hand before he noticed that they were not alone. Mike cleared his throat, sitting up straighter and rubbing his other hand over the stubble on his chin. "Hello Mrs. Shearin," he said.

Rosa shook a finger at him with a smile. "Michael, how many times do I have to tell you?"

Mike held up a hand in appeasement. "Rosa," he said. He turned his attention to Connie. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"My head still hurts a little, but it's better," she said honestly. She lowered her voice as she squeezed Mike's hand. "Mom knows. About the baby."

Mike's eyes widened in panic as he looked over at Rosa. His concerns were quickly laid to rest when he saw her smile.

"And she is absolutely over the moon at the idea of a new grandbaby!" she said, making her way over to Mike to envelope him in a hug. She pulled away, taking each of their hands in her own. "Now, I want to hear all the details, but you," she looked at her daughter, "have been trying to hide your yawns for the past ten minutes, and you, young man," she turned her attention to Mike, "need to find somewhere more comfortable than that chair to sleep." She patted Mike's hand, then leaned over to kiss Connie's cheek. "Will you call me when you get home tomorrow? I know your Pops will want to talk to you," Rosa said, referencing the nickname Connie and her siblings had given their stepfather when their mother married him. "And don't even think of coming to the house on Sunday unless you are one hundred percent up for it." Connie nodded. Rosa squeezed her hand one last time. "I love you, mija." She smiled at them both before turning for the door.

They were quiet for a moment before Connie broke the silence. "She's right, you can't sleep in that chair. Why don't you go on home?"

Mike chuckled as he perched on the side of her bed. "If you think I'm leaving you alone here tonight, you are out of your mind," he said, leaning in to kiss her sweetly.

Connie chuckled against his lips. "You're going to get all over protective now, aren't you?" she asked, being mindful of the IV still attached to her hand as she scooted over to make room for him to sit with her on the bed.

Mike slipped his shoes off, then slid onto the bed next to her. He wrapped an arm around her as she nestled in next to him, laying her head on his shoulder. "Over protective? Yeah, I think I might." he whispered, laying his cheek against the top of her head as they both drifted back to sleep.

* * *

Connie had one last check up at the hospital the following day before being given the all clear. She was released at about one that Thursday afternoon. Mike sat in the driver's seat, not sure exactly where they were headed. "Your place or mine?" he asked.

Connie looked over at him with a small smile. "Do you mind if we go to yours?" she asked, then shrugged. "I know they got those guys, but just the thought of them following me home creeps me out."

Mike nodded in agreement and started heading toward his apartment. Connie already spent enough time at his place that she had some of her things there. He had also, as of late, started doing a better job of stocking up on groceries, so he knew they wouldn't starve.

Once inside, Connie retreated immediately to the shower, while Mike called Jack to let him know that he would not be coming into work tomorrow, and that the pool car was waiting out in front of his apartment to be picked up. He was in the kitchen looking for something to eat when Connie joined him. She was dressed in a pair of soft, knit shorts and one of his Yankees t-shirts, her damp hair curling around her face. She had applied a new, smaller bandage to the cut on her forehead. She reached into a cabinet for a glass, then moved to fill it with water as Mike placed his hands on her shoulders, mindful of the bump still there as he kissed the back of her head. "Feel better?" he asked.

Connie placed her glass on the counter and turned. She moved forward to wrap her arms around his waist and lay her head on his shoulder, smiling as he pulled her closer into a full embrace, rubbing her back as he did. "Much better now," she whispered. For a long moment, they just stood together in the circle of each other's arms, before Connie pulled back to look in Mike's eyes. She reached out to caress his cheek, which was covered with two-days worth of whiskers. "You keeping this?" she asked.

Mike reached up to stroke his chin, contemplating. "I don't know. What do you think?" He leaned closer, rubbing his cheek against hers.

Connie giggled, placing her hands on his chest and turning away from him. "I think it's scratchy," she protested. He tipped his head closer to hers, kissing her quickly.

"Message received. I'll go take care of it," he said, kissing her once more before heading off toward the shower. Connie watched him go, grabbing her glass and taking it with her into the other room as she sank down on the couch with Mike's phone to call her mother and let her know she was out of the hospital and staying at Mike's. She spoke to her stepfather, too. She told her mother they were still up in the air about Sunday. Part of her really wanted to go, to experience the normalcy of the yearly family gathering. But another part of her wanted to stay holed up here in Mike's apartment and never leave. Truth be told, it was that part that made Connie angry, She was angry, because she felt weak and frightened. And that was just not her. She turned as she heard Mike returning from the shower, freshly shaved. He sat down beside her.

Connie reached out to once again caress his cheek, this time pulling him close. "That's better," she whispered as she kissed him. He laughed against her lips, sitting back on the couch as they parted.

Connie took a deep breath, turning toward him and pulling her legs up under her on the couch. She had something that she knew she needed to tell him. "Mike," she began seriously, "I'm sorry."

Mike looked at her quizzically. "Sorry? What for?"

"I'm sorry that I didn't let you know about the things that were happening. The phone calls, the first encounter outside the yoga studio." Connie's eyes dropped to her lap, toying with a loose thread on the hem of the shirt she was wearing. She finally looked back at him as she continued. "All of those things, they bothered me. They just didn't feel right. But I just," she sighed, running a hand through her hair, "I didn't want take the time to really think about what might be happening, what it might mean. If I didn't stop to think about it, then I didn't have time to be afraid. And I didn't want to worry you." She shook her head. "I was being stubborn. And I ended up putting myself and our baby in danger."

Mike reached out to lay a hand on her thigh. "Connie, none of this is your fault. You know that, right?"

She shrugged, dropping her eyes again. "I'm still afraid," she said tremulously.

Mike pulled her closer until she was laying against his chest. "I think that's probably to be expected," he said quietly. "Just give yourself some time. I'm not going anywhere."

Connie reached up to lace their fingers together. "I love you," she told him.

"I love you, too, babe," Mike answered, kissing the top of her head.

* * *

The rest of the day passed without incident. Mike fixed them some dinner. Connie was grateful to have something that wasn't hospital food, and Mike really was a pretty good cook. Her headache returned, something the doctor had told her to expect. Though she didn't like the idea of taking anything while pregnant, the doctor assured her that a little Tylenol never hurt anyone, including an unborn baby. Connie spent the evening flipping through channels on the TV, going back and forth between MSNBC and CNN as she tried to get caught up on what was happening in the world again, and _Sleepless In Seattle. S_ he finally settled on the movie until she began dozing on the couch, her head resting on a throw pillow and her feet in Mike's lap as he read a biography of Neil Armstrong. He finally woke her enough to help her to bed. She went right back to sleep, but unfortunately she had only been able to rest for a few hours when the nightmares came. She was back there again, overheating in that run down house, only this time the detectives never came. The dream morphed, and she looked down to see that she was holding a baby. A baby that was promptly ripped from her arms by her captors. She sat straight up in bed, hugging her midsection in panic, with a gasp loud enough to wake Mike.

"I'm right here," he tried to sooth her. "It's okay."

Connie tried to control her breathing as she turned her eyes to Mike. "Hold me," she whispered to him as she burrowed into his arms. "Just hold me."

Mike wrapped his arms around her tightly, settling them both back down into bed. He rubbed her back, whispering a litany of calming words until he was sure she was once again asleep. It was only then that Mike allowed himself to drift back to sleep as well. This time, they both slept dreamlessly until morning.

* * *

They spent the following day in much the same way as they had the previous evening. The rainy weather made it a little easier to stay inside without guilt. By mid afternoon, Mike traded his book for some paperwork from the office. He initially protested when Connie sat down at the table with him to help, but once they got into their normal groove working together, they finished in record time. Mike suggested that they go out for dinner, but Connie said she'd rather order in. He didn't want to make an issue of her resistance to leave the apartment, so he just went to retrieve the Chinese take out menu from the kitchen, deciding he'd try tomorrow to get her out in the world again.

Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny. Connie had slept fitfully the night before, but had not awoken in a panic like she did the previous night. They spent some time that morning rediscovering each other. Even though the doctor at the emergency room and Connie herself had assured him that she hadn't been violated in that way during her ordeal, Mike had not wanted to push Connie to be intimate. So he let her set the pace and take the lead. Afterwards, as they lay spooned together, Connie told Mike about the brownstone she had seen the morning before all hell broke loose. It felt like a million years ago now. They hurried through a quick shower, then Connie fired up the laptop while Mike toasted them some bagels. They looked over the details of the beautiful townhouse as they ate. "Let's go check it out," Mike suggested.

Connie's immediate reaction was a surge of panic that rushed through her at the thought of leaving the apartment. She swallowed hard, trying to get her emotions under control. She looked over at Mike, who was watching her closely. "Only if you want," he added quietly.

Connie nodded resolutely. "I'll get dressed."

An hour later, they were boarding the train at the Canal Street station, settling in for the thirty-five minute ride to Brooklyn. From there it would be about a five minute walk to the single-family brownstone. Mike had let Connie have the seat next to the window so that he could sit between her and the rest of the world. They didn't talk much during the ride, as the train was crowded. Mike could tell Connie was anxious to be around so many strangers.

It was turning into a very pretty day, the previous day's rain having ushered in a cold front that kept the normally searing summer temperatures down. Mike and Connie walked hand and hand, admiring the architecture of the different townhouses. The neighborhood was beautiful, and Connie had no trouble imagining raising their family here. She joked with Mike that someone was going to call the police on them as he tried to peer in the windows of the building they were interested in. They took one of the information sheets, seeing that the house, amazingly, was within their budget. They noted the name of the realtor at the top, and found a little place called Patsy's Pizzeria for lunch. Connie called and left a voicemail message for the realtor as they waited for their order. She returned their message just as they were finishing up their lunch, and made arrangements to meet them to show them the brownstone. Connie was beyond excited to see the inside, and it did not disappoint. She and Mike both took in the original oak floors, the family room with a beautiful fireplace, the remodeled kitchen. There was a small room right next to the master bedroom, that Connie could already imagine decorating as a nursery. Mike instantly loved the Windsor Terrace neighborhood, with Prospect Park nearby. He didn't say so out loud, but he thought a move to Brooklyn might be a great idea for them. It was closer to Connie's parents, and it was away from where they lived now and all of the memories of what Connie had just gone through. It could be perfect for them, a fresh start.

A brilliant idea was beginning to grow in Mike's mind. It would take some planning on his part, and it would involve some more time off work and a quick road trip to visit his mother, but Connie had been wanting to meet her anyway. And if he could pull everything together, it would be the kind of surprise that Connie not only loved, but deserved.

* * *

They did, indeed, make the trip out for the family cookout to celebrate the 4th of July that Sunday. Connie was ever so slowly starting to feel more and more like her old self, even if she had to push herself to do things she really would have rather avoided - like the trip to her apartment to pick up some more of her things after they returned from Brooklyn late Saturday afternoon, or staying at Mike's apartment alone for awhile Saturday evening as he ran to the office to drop off some files. Little did she know, he was also getting some things in order for them to be able to take some time off work later on in the month, talking first to Jack about his plan, then going to work reassigning any of their necessary cases that would need attention that week. He made arrangements with another ADA to cover them the days he was planning for them to be gone, then made a few more calls, including to his mother to let her know he was planning a visit with Connie. He actually had a rather pleasant talk with his mother, especially when he told her the primary reason for their visit. She was overjoyed, saying she couldn't wait to finally meet Connie in person, and that she would be more than happy to help with the other part of the plan that necessitated their trip to Connecticut.

That Sunday was a typical, perfect midsummer day in which to celebrate the nation's independence. Mike and Connie were welcomed warmly by Connie's family and were greeted with only happy wishes when they announced Connie's pregnancy after lunch. Connie's brother said it was a little anticlimactic really, as he was the only one who didn't already officially know- Connie's mother of course knew and had told her husband, and Connie's sister had guessed their secret a couple of months earlier. And as her brother told her, "I could tell the minute I looked at you...and I'm a guy."

Connie's sister had brought her old maternity clothes to give to Connie, and the females headed inside for an impromptu fashion show. Mike was relaxing on the back deck, watching the kids playing in the backyard, when Connie's stepfather sat down next to him, handing him a beer.

Jonathan Shearin was a quiet man. He loved his stepchildren, and was more than happy to become their "Pops" when he married their mother. Connie's father had re-immigrated back to Spain where he had grown up not long after his divorce. Jonathan was essentially the father-figure for his stepchildren, and he was very proud of each one of them. But he and Connie had always been especially close. Maybe it was because she was the youngest, she had been with them at home the longest. He knew she was a hard worker, tough and determined. He knew she would be hesitant to show any signs of weakness after her recent ordeal. So he decided to come to the next best source to make sure his stepdaughter was truly okay.

"Mike," he said in greeting, turning his eyes to watch his grandchildren, who were currently engaged in a water gun fight, with a smile. "Won't be long before your little one will be joining in on these shenanigans. I don't think Rosa said, is the baby a boy or a girl?"

Mike took a drink from his beer bottle, trying not to feel anxious. He was glad everyone was happy about the baby, even if they hadn't quite done everything in the widely socially accepted order. "We're waiting to find out," he shrugged with a smile. "Going to let it be a surprise."

"Ah, nice," Jonathan replied with a nod. The two men were quiet for a moment before Jonathan asked. "Connie, she's doing okay now?"

Mike studied the bottle in his hands. He didn't want to worry the older man, and at the same time he knew Connie would not want her stepfather to know all of the details. She was still having trouble sleeping, she still got a little anxious in public, especially in large crowds. Mike wasn't sure there was anyway that she'd ever be able to return to her prenatal yoga class, no matter how much she loved it. "She's doing better. I think it's just going to take some time," Mike said instead. "We're going to take a little more time off later this month, go and visit my mother in Connecticut. Connie's pretty excited about that."

Jonathan nodded again with a smile. "You take good care of her."

Mike smiled genuinely. "I will sir. I can promise you that."

* * *

The family traveled to a nearby park which offered prime viewing for the community fireworks display. Connie had just as much fun watching her nieces and nephews enjoying the splashes of color that lit up the night sky as she did watching the fireworks herself. And Mike just enjoyed watching the beautiful smile on her face. They said their goodbyes after the fireworks, jumping in with Connie's brother who drove them to the train station. Connie leaned her head on Mike's shoulder on the ride back to the city.

"I'm excited for our trip," she told him. "I can't believe you are willing to take time off work to go see your mother, though."

Mike shrugged. "Seemed like a good time. Jack said he was about to start docking my leave days if I didn't use them. I'm not sure I even remember the last time I took a vacation."

"Just think of all the family vacations we have to look forward to," Connie teased her love, who she knew would never be considered a "social butterfly." "I see a family trip to Disney World sometime in our future."

Mike grimaced just a bit. "Let's not wish time away," he said. "Besides, you never know what magic this trip to Connecticut might have in store."

* * *

 _So I have to admit, I struggled a little with this chapter. Creating Connie's family is a lot of pressure! Please let me know what you think. Next up, time to meet Mike's mom!_


	18. Chapter 18

_Ready to visit Connecticut? :). For some reason, I was picturing actress Blythe Danner in my head when I imagined Mike's mom._

 _Oh, yeah, and about that plan Mike has…..._

* * *

Chapter 18 - July 2010

As Mike pulled their rental car to a stop outside the quaint, little white house with the blue door at 3 Knollwood Circle in the town of Simsbury, Connecticut, Connie could tell that he was nervous. The drive from Manhattan had taken just a little less than three hours. The closer they got to Mike's mother's home, the quieter and more withdrawn he had become. He could be such a contradiction at times, Connie thought. He was always so commanding and in control in court. He could be so sweet and tender with her. But send him to see his mother, and he was a picture of anxiety. Connie placed her hand on top of his where it still rested on the gear shift of the car, giving him a reassuring smile.

"I think we're here," she said.

Mike didn't look at her, simply keeping his eyes trained forward. "Yep," he answered. This whole trip was his idea, and he knew that it was necessary for the plan that he had in mind to truly work the way he wanted it to, but right now his only thought was, _this was a big mistake._

"Think maybe we should go in?" Connie asked quietly.

Mike snickered slightly, knowing that Connie was trying to help him see how silly he was acting. Nodding his head, he opened his door, coming around the front of the car to meet Connie where she had just exited the passenger side. They crossed the short walk to the front door. Mike was just about to raise his hand to knock when the door opened. Claudia Cutter stood in the doorway wearing a nervous smile not unlike the one on her son's face. Neither of them seemed to know who should speak first, until finally Mike broke the silence.

"Hi Mom," he said quietly.

Claudia smiled. "Hi," she said in return.

Mike wrapped an arm around Connie, pulling her closer. "Mom, this is Connie," he said.

Connie, a bright smile on her face, held out her hand. "Mrs. Cutter, it's so nice to meet you."

Claudia smiled back, taking Connie's hand in both of hers. "Connie, it's a pleasure to meet you. When my son bothers to call, he has told me all about you," she says with mock indignation, casting a glance at Mike. "And please, call me Claudia "

She invited them inside where she had lunch waiting for them. Connie and Claudia chatted about how she and Mike met. She was excited to hear all about the baby, Mike having already told his mother that Connie was expecting. Mike was quiet, content for the moment just to observe the two women. He listened as his mother recounted the details of her own pregnancy and Mike's birth. Claudia asked Connie if she had experienced any particular cravings. Connie almost guiltily confessed to a sweet tooth that only seemed to be soothed with cookies and, of all things to crave in the middle of summer, hot chocolate. It wasn't long before Claudia began sharing stories of Mike's childhood, much to Connie's amusement. There were two things that Connie noticed throughout the afternoon and evening. The first, that Claudia never mentioned Mike's father, Connie chose to keep to herself. The second one she shared with him later that night as they lay in bed together at their hotel.

"She loves you very much."

* * *

They had planned to do a little sightseeing during the few days they were in Connecticut. But when Claudia heard Mike's plan to drive Connie almost an hour away, only to then force her to spend the day walking all over the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, she would not hear of it. Instead, she told Mike to go ahead and take his "boy trip" while she and Connie stayed in town, did some shopping, and visited the Old Drake Hill Flower Bridge.

Mike looked unsure, but Connie convinced him that she was more than okay with his mother's plan. "Not that I wouldn't enjoy the Hall of Fame with you," she told him. Mike knew, Connie was a closet college hoops fan, but at the same time Connie felt like this was an important opportunity for her to spend some time with Mike's mom.

They were having a lovely day. Claudia had bought a few things for the baby already, telling Connie that since this was going to be her first grandchild, she would make absolutely no promises about keeping her spoiling under control.

After lunch, they finished up their day at the Old Drake Hill Flower Bridge. Connie marveled at the 183 foot metal truss bridge, which was decorated with sixty-two flower boxes and thirty-two hanging baskets, all planted and maintained by a group of local volunteers. The flowers were in full bloom as Connie and Claudia walked along the pathway. Claudia reached out to take Connie's arm as she spoke."Connie I can't tell you how happy I am that you and Mike have each other."

Connie smiled. "He makes me very happy."

Claudia was quiet for a few more moments as they found a bench and sat down. "I don't know how much Mike has told you about his father," she began.

"He's told me some," Connie said, then admitted, "but it took a lot of time, and even then it wasn't easy for him."

Claudia smiled sadly. " 'Wasn't easy for him' could be the summary of his childhood," she paused and met Connie's eyes, "and I'm afraid I didn't make it any easier for him." Connie stayed quiet as Claudia continued. "My ex-husband, he made some mistakes, lots of mistakes, but I made some, too. I struggled after the divorce, even long before then really. But I knew I needed to keep Michael on the right path." She paused and sighed, "We were always pretty close as he was growing up, but he had a very complicated relationship with his father, even before he left us. Jim just worked all the time, in lots of different places all over the world. His family was almost like an afterthought. But that is not a concept that a child can really understand. And when we divorced, Mike barely heard from him at all. He had good intentions at the start, I suppose, and tried to see Mike on the weekends, but he just really didn't know his son. The visits started to become fewer and farther between. Then the same thing happened with the phone calls and birthday cards, especially after he relocated permanently to London. When Mike's dad tried to get in touch with him, right after he finished high school, and Mike found out that his dad had remarried and had a new family, it knocked him off his axis." She sighed sadly, "And instead of trying to help him, I just lectured him, and it drove him away. Things were never the same between us after that." Claudia paused, wiping a tear from her eye. She squeezed Connie's hand. "I'm so glad he has you. Oh, I know, he's been a fully functioning adult for quite some time now, and I know he has done very well for himself, and he is well respected in his job. But he's always been such a loner. Connie, you've given him a home and a family, and that's something he's always wanted." She patted Connie's hand with a watery smile. "Thank you."

Connie smiled back, a bit overwhelmed. "Thank you," Connie shrugged. "And I want you to know that I love your son very much. He has given me just as much, if not more, than I have given him."

* * *

They all reconnected early in the evening. Mike had enjoyed his trip to Springfield, and told Connie all about it. Claudia convinced them to stay for dinner, and then when Connie fell asleep on the couch later, she convinced Mike that there was no reason to wake her up to take her back to their hotel in town when she had a perfectly good guest bedroom just up the stairs. Mike agreed that it would be best if they just stayed at the house for the night. He roused Connie enough to help her to the guest room. She woke up as he climbed into bed next to her and jokingly told him that she would try her best not to take advantage of him with his mother just down the hall, to which Mike responded by kissing her until she was breathless.

Mike came downstairs the next morning to find his mother at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee and reading the morning paper. She looked up at her son with a smile. "Join me?" she asked.

Mike nodded, crossing the kitchen to pour his own cup of coffee. He sat down across from her at the table after he filled his mug, searching through the sections of the newspaper on the table until he found the sports section. "Connie still sleeping?" his mother asked.

"Yes," Mike answered. "You must have worn her out yesterday."

Claudia laughed lightly. "We had a very enjoyable day, and I hope you have room for all of the things I got for the baby. How is the house search going, by the way?"

Mike told her about the place in Brooklyn, then went on to tell her about the plan that he had already put in motion. The plan that would hopefully come to fruition the following weekend. Claudia just smiled in delight.

"Who knew my son could be such a romantic?"

"Well, on occasion Mother," Mike commented with a shrug, dropping his eyes back down to the newspaper, "when given the proper inspiration."

Claudia placed a hand on her son's arm. "Connie is just...Mike, she's wonderful. You two seem very happy."

Mike looked up from the baseball box scores he had been reading. "We are." Claudia knew her son was not one to talk about his feelings, at least not with her. So this small admission was all the confirmation that she needed.

"I found it," Claudia told him, "Your grandmother's ring."

Mike just looked at her, a small smile growing across his face as he watched his mother cross to one of the high kitchen cabinets, the one in which she kept all of her spices and baking ingredients. She pulled a small, black velvet box from the back of the cabinet, and returned to the table.

"Michael, I feel like this is a big moment, and I know we haven't had too many of those, so I want to say, " she paused, tossing her head back and forth. "Well, I want to say so many things: I'm sorry. I'm proud of you. I love you." Mike opened his mouth to interrupt, but his mother held up her hand. "I have a lot of regrets about the past. I regret the decisions that I made, and I regret the distance that those decisions created between us. But don't, for one second, think that I am not immensely proud of the man you have become, in spite of both me and your father." She reached over and took his hand. "You are going to be a wonderful husband and an incredible father. " She placed the small box in his hand.

Mike was speechless. Truth be told, he knew that part of the distance between him and his mother was his own fault. A misguided attempt to protect himself, to keep himself from being hurt in the same way his father had hurt him. But if he had learned anything from his relationship with Connie, it was that sometimes love was worth the risk of getting hurt. He opened the box, looking at the antique engagement ring that had belonged to his grandmother. The ring he wanted to give to Connie when he asked her to be his wife. A European cut diamond center stone set between two smaller diamonds on a platinum band. This represented the family that he had come from, flawed though it may be, and the family that he longed to build with Connie. Mike stood and hugged his mother.

"Thank you Mom," he said. He pulled away, looking down at the ring in his hand, then back at his mother with a smile. "I'm going to marry her."

* * *

The rest of their visit passed quickly. Connie wasn't sure exactly what had changed, but she could see a new closeness between mother and son that filled her with happiness. Mike was finally feeling comfortable around her family, but to see him laughing with his own mother was more than she could have ever hoped for during this trip. She sometimes caught Claudia looking at her with a smile on her face that Connie couldn't decipher.

Claudia and Connie had a few more heart to heart talks. Connie told her a little about what had happened earlier in the month. She was finally, mostly, sleeping through the night again, and thankfully Simsbury was not a large town so she was not having a rough time being out in crowds. Claudia insisted that Mike take Connie out for dinner, just the two of them, on their last evening in Connecticut.

Mike and Connie walked hand in hand around town after their dinner. "You seem relaxed," Mike remarked.

She pulled on the hand that she held and took his arm, leaning up to kiss him. "I am. It's been nice to get away, and to meet your mom." She smiled at him. "Thank you for bringing me here."

He pulled her to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk, and leaned in to kiss her gently. "Thank you for coming here with me," he whispered as their lips parted.

Connie leaned up to steal another kiss before they resumed their walk. "It seems like you and your mom have been getting along well."

Mike looked over at her and just smiled. "Yeah, we uh, we had a good talk the other morning while you were still sleeping."

Connie squeezed his hand. "I'm glad." Then sensing that he wasn't ready to share any other details, she changed the subject. "I forgot to tell you that she showed me some old pictures while we were waiting for you to get back from Springfield the other day." Mike grimaced as she continued. "Five prom dates in three years? Really Mike? You were quite the ladies man it seems."

"Only one of those was my actual prom," he protested, "All the others, those girls invited me, and just as friends." He stopped and wrapped an arm around her shoulder to pull her close to him. "Besides, I'm a one-woman man now. I'm all yours, babe."

Connie laughed, sliding her arm around his waist. "You say that now, but just you wait. If this baby turns out to be a girl…" she trailed off.

For a second, Mike imagined in his mind's eye a beautiful, little, dark-haired girl with her mother's eyes and his dimples.

"Oh, I'll be in so much trouble." he agreed as Connie laughed louder at his epiphany.

* * *

 _It's interesting to create these characters that we don't know, but who have such a big part in the story of the characters we love. And I feel like Mike's relationship with his mom has to be pretty complicated, so hopefully this captures that. I hope I have done justice to Connie and Mike's extended family. Please let me know what you think._


	19. Chapter 19

_Welcome to chapter 19 (WOW! I can't believe I have written so many words!), in which Mike's secret plan comes to complete fruition!_

* * *

Chapter 19-

Connie sighed in frustration, blowing a lock of dark hair out of her eyes as she did so. She recognized where Mike was taking them as soon as they had exited the subway. This was not at all the way that she had envisioned spending her Saturday afternoon. She had been hoping that this weekend would be the start of an upswing to what had been the end of a string of bad days the previous week. It was their first week back to work after taking some time off to visit Mike's mom in Connecticut. It had been awhile since Connie had taken a real vacation, but she remembered now how hard it was to come back to work after. Despite her and Mike's best efforts to cover all of their cases and anything else that may have come up, she left the office later than usual that Monday night feeling so far behind. From there it was an unending battle throughout the rest of the week to not just get caught up, but to make sure they didn't fall farther behind. Unfortunately it was a battle that Connie wasn't winning. She had lost a motion hearing, which lead to a key piece of evidence being excluded for one of their current cases. She had failed to secure a remand on a suspect at an arraignment hearing for one of their newest cases, and had been buried in paperwork thanks to an eleventh hour discovery request from the defense on yet another of their current cases.

Add to that the gossip queens at the office, who were having a field day with the news of Connie's pregnancy in the aftermath of her abduction. They had been given a few weeks' grace period right after, but once Connie's pregnancy became more and more noticeable and they had returned from their time off to travel to Connecticut, it was like a switch had been flipped, the gloves had come off, and the talking began in earnest. In all honesty, most people, and certainly the people whose opinions really mattered to them, were kind and offered them sincere congratulations. But there were a few, who Connie suspected were die hard members of "the Michael Cutter fan club," who were content to make less than complimentary comments. Comments about how she must have gotten pregnant on purpose to trap him. Or that they were both lawyers, weren't they smart enough to know how to keep from making a baby? None of them had the nerve to say any of this directly to Connie, of course. Word travels fast, though, and it didn't take long for their words to make their way back to Connie. She tried her best to just ignore them, but inside she was hurt and she was angry, practically seething.

So Connie was sorely looking forward to the weekend when Friday afternoon rolled around and she received a call from the realtor that they had been in touch with for the house in Brooklyn. The realtor who was about to deliver the final blow of the week. She was calling to let Connie know that the house was no longer available. Connie was devastated, and almost broke down in tears as she told Mike that night over dinner. He tried his best to comfort her, even suggesting that they go back to Brooklyn the following day, just to look around the neighborhood again. Maybe they would find something they loved just as much.

Connie didn't think that would happen, so she was not in the best mood as they boarded the subway Saturday afternoon. Once they arrived in Brooklyn, she became even more irritated when Mike walked them right up to the town house Connie had been coveting for the past several weeks.

Connie stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, anchoring herself so that Mike had no choice but to stop along with her or let go of her hand to keep moving. And Mike had no intention of letting her go.

Connie gave an exasperated sigh. "Mike, what are we doing here?" she asked. "I told you, I talked to the agent yesterday. This house is off the market."

Mike simply shrugged, pulling her along with him up the steps toward the door. "Humor me," he told her with a mysterious smile.

Connie shook her head, watching as he walked right up and opened the front door. "What are you doing?" she exclaimed, glancing around them as if she expected a cop to show up at any moment. "We can't just walk in here like this!"

But Mike just took her hand and led her inside, grateful that she gave no further argument, but admittedly feeling just a little bit bad about the look of wistfulness that crossed her face as she once again looked around the house she had fallen in love with. He followed her silently as she walked around, then came up behind her and whispered in her ear, "Tell me what you love about this place?"

Connie shook her head to clear the daydream she had just been indulging in. "Why?" she asked him sullenly.

Mike simply smiled. "Again, just humor me."

Connie just looked at him, trying to figure out why he was wearing such a "cat that ate the canary" look on his face. With another deep sigh, she found herself once again wandering around the house as she spoke, almost as if she was saying goodbye. "I love that it's close to the park and closer to my parents. I love that it's not all modern and plastic, that it looks like a real home. I love that it has this big family room with a fireplace and bookshelves built into the wall. I love that it has big windows and a nice kitchen. And I love that little room next to the master bedroom that would be perfect for a nursery."

Mike came up behind her once again, this time wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her close as he whispered in her ear, "What if I told you that the realtor is going to be here in about 20 minutes with the paperwork we need to sign to make an offer on this house?"

She turned in his arms, a look of surprise and hope on her face. "What?" she breathed.

Mike took a deep breath. This was it. He kept his arms around her as he looked into her eyes. "I love all those things, too," he told her, "and I love the thought of living here with you. I want to build a life here with you. I want to raise our child here, and any other children who join our family. That's what I want." Mike paused for a moment, seeing the tears in Connie's eyes and the beautiful smile on her face. She was brilliant. She knew what was happening, where he was going with this. "Connie, I love you. You've helped me remember what it's like to be part of a family, and how important that is. You know me, better than anyone. You know when to push me and when to reign me in. You have always taken me just as I am, the good and the bad. And that makes me want to be a better man. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, here, in our home, showing you just how much." He looked deep in her beautiful brown eyes as he sank down to one knee. "Connie, will you marry me?"

Connie somehow tore her eyes away from Mike's to look at the small box he was holding out to her. She gasped as she saw the most gorgeous antique engagement ring. She felt a bit light headed. Truth be told, she knew that when she had told him several months ago that she wanted him to surprise her with his proposal, Mike had taken it as something of a challenge. But this, well, this was beyond anything she could have ever hoped for or dreamed of. It was absolutely perfect, and as she looked back at Mike, she knew there was only one answer she could give him.

"Yes," she whispered, a delighted smile blooming across her face. Mike was on his feet in a heartbeat, taking Connie in his arms, pulling her up off her own feet with the force of his hug. "Yes, I will marry you!"

Mike placed Connie back down on the ground, then kissed her tenderly. As he pulled away, they just smiled at each other for a moment before Mike reached out to take the ring from it's box. He took Connie's left hand in his right, then slid the ring on to her finger. Connie smiled in delight at her newly adorned hand. "Mike,"she breathed, "it's so beautiful. It's perfect."

Mike nodded. "It was my grandmother's," he said quietly. "My mother had it, hence the need for us to visit." She looked up at him, surprise written across her face.

She was speechless, so she simply kissed him, whispering, "I love you so much," as their lips parted.

Mike smiled. "Big enough surprise for you?" he asked.

Connie laughed out loud. "A house and a ring? Yeah, you did good." She looked around them. "This could really be ours?" she asked.

Mike nodded, "We'll have to see if the offer is accepted, then apply for a mortgage and set up the closing, but yeah, once we accomplish all of that, it's ours. Home sweet home," he told her.

Connie took his face in her hands with a shake of her head. "You're my home," she whispered as their lips met. "Always."

* * *

Their offer was, indeed, accepted. The realtor remarked on how quickly the deal went through, but when Mike and Connie met the homeowners, they weren't surprised. They were a retired couple who had been married for fifty years, heading to the suburbs to be closer to their grandchildren and farther away from the stairs that were such a chore for them as they got older, especially after the husband's knee replacement surgery. They remarked to Mike and Connie, though, that they had made many happy memories in this home, and that it was just perfect for a young couple just starting their life together. It was mid-August by the time the deal was done, and though it was everything Mike and Connie wanted, it was a bit overwhelming, too. They began packing up at their separate places, Mike admonishing Connie that she was absolutely NOT to lift or carry anything heavy. Connie quickly decided that moving into a new home at almost six months pregnant was not an ideal situation, especially for someone like herself who was accustomed to doing things on her own. Connie knew where she wanted things in their new home, where the furniture should go, which cabinets should hold the dishes and which cabinets should hold the glasses. But she had to rely on their team of hired movers and friends and family who had volunteered - Mike, Connie's stepfather, brother, and brother-in-law, along with Cyrus Lupo and Kevin Bernard to do all the heavy lifting, and her mother, sister, and sister-in-law to do a lot of the unpacking, By the time their crew had left on moving day after payment for services rendered in the form of pizza and beer, it was nearing 9 pm. They would still have to travel back to their apartments one last time to just double check that they had left nothing behind and to hand over their keys, but they were both excited to spend this first night together in their new home. The house was still a work in progress, filled with unpacked boxes and bare walls waiting to be decorated. Connie was feeling more than a little overwhelmed and exhausted.

And deliriously happy, she thought later that night. She had lost track of Mike, figuring he was holed up in the room they had designated as a home office, unpacking the boxes and boxes of books that they had each accumulated, and that he had told her she was to take no part in relocating to their permanent homes in the book shelves. She had argued that while the boxes were indeed heavy, the books separately were not and she could help him. But on this Mike stood firm, so Connie started unpacking the linens instead. She was carrying some towels to put away in the closet in the master bathroom, when she passed the little room next to their bedroom, the room that was to be the baby's room. Where she found Mike, sitting on the floor amongst several pieces of the most beautiful dark wood she had ever seen. She saw a box in the corner, recognized the picture on the front as the baby crib that she had seen while out shopping with Mike's mother when they had visited her last month, and gasped softly.

Mike looked up, slightly annoyed with himself that he had been presumptuous enough to assume that putting together a baby bed would be easy, and that he would be able to accomplish the task before she missed him and came looking for him. _Should have waited for her to go to sleep,_ he thought as he looked up at her, setting the directions sheet aside. "Surprise," he said sheepishly.

Connie came fully into the room that had been painted a soft, seafoam green color just last week. "Where did this come from? How?" she asked.

Mike shrugged. "My mom sent it," he said. "I have to be honest with you, babe, my inability to figure out these directions is hell on my masculinity right now, though."

She scoffed at him, sitting down in the rocking chair in the corner and holding out her hands to him. "Give me the directions." For the next forty-five minutes they did what had always come naturally to them: worked together to accomplish a goal. The end result was a beautiful baby bed, soundly constructed, just waiting for it's future occupant. Connie sat in the rocking chair, admiring their handiwork as Mike cleaned up the room. He returned from taking the empty box out to leave with the rest of the recycling, and kneeled down in front of Connie between her knees. He leaned over and kissed her belly, keeping his head close and his voice low.

"Okay, coconut, this is your new home," he spoke tenderly to her belly, to the baby inside. Connie couldn't help but smile when Mike did this, and he did it often. She gently ran a hand through his hair as she listened to the one sided conversation Mike had with their child. "You don't have to be in a hurry or anything, because Mommy and I still have some things to do, and you do, too. So you just stay right there and keep growing until you make it to at least pumpkin...watermelon would be preferable." He paused, then leaned in to kiss Connie's belly one more time as he whispered, "Daddy loves you." He sat up taller, leaning in to kiss Connie. "And I love you, too."

Connie just looked at him, thinking how lucky she was to be able to experience this, to "do" life, with him. There were so many things changing for them, lots of things they still needed to figure out: they still had a ways to go to get settled into their new home, they were still getting used to the new morning commute to work each day, they had decisions to make about child care once the baby was born, and they had a wedding to plan! It was, admittedly a lot, but as Connie looked into Mike's eyes she knew that it was all exactly what she wanted.

 _I can't wait!_ she thought to herself, as she stood from the rocking chair, pulling Mike up with her. She leaned close to kiss him, guiding him out of the nursery. "I love you, Mike. So much," she whispered between kisses as she led him to their bedroom.

* * *

 _Ah, young love! I know so many of you have been anxiously awaiting this proposal. I hope you liked it. I knew I wanted a proposal in this story but it honestly took me a little while to work out how I wanted it to happen, only because I had already written what I thought was a pretty great proposal for these two. (Shameless plug - if you would like to read that story, it's called "She's Got a Way") Once I got the idea for Mike's proposal in this story, though, it was lots of fun to write. (Full disclosure - I toyed with the idea of having Connie ask Mike. Maybe I'll write that story sometime in the future!) Thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing. I love writing this story, and I am so thankful to read each review. It makes it even more fun to know that other people are enjoying it, too!_


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Connie Rubirosa sat outside of the courtroom, waiting for a motion hearing to begin when her phone suddenly chirped, signaling an incoming text message. She glanced down to see it simply said _**Oliver?**_

She laughed lightly to herself as she sent a message right back to Mike.

 _ **OlivER CuttER?**_ _**Lot of r-controlled vowels there.**_

Connie set her phone aside and began reviewing some paperwork. A few minutes later, her phone chirped again.

 _ **Careful! Your educ. degree is showing.**_

Connie snickered again, shaking her head. She sent off another message.

 _ **About to head into courtroom to use my law degree. Shouldn't u be working?**_

She gathered her papers and briefcase and began to stand when she received another message from Mike.

 _ **I'd rather bother you. We'll talk baby names more later. Love you.**_

She just smiled as she texted him back one last time.

 _ **U can bother me anytime. Love you too**_

She sent off the message just as her case was called. She rose from the bench she had been sitting on and headed into the courtroom.

Discussions began again that evening. Mike and Connie had just finished dinner at a little Italian place not too far from their new home in Brooklyn. They had decided there was no better way to familiarize themselves with their new neighborhood than just to be out in it. They had discovered some wonderful new restaurants, a nearby food market owned and operated by a very sweet older lady who fawned all over Connie whenever she came in, and they were already becoming friendly with their nearest neighbors.

"We need to get serious about this," Mike said as they crossed the street. He looked pointedly at her midsection. "We're running out of time."

Connie just laughed. "Well, we could always just stick with 'Watermelon'."

Mike just gave her a look. "Funny," he said, taking her hand. "Okay, so we've narrowed down the girl names, right?"

"Mmmhmm," Connie agreed. "Katherine for a middle name, after your grandmother, and either Elena or Cristina for a first name."

"Right. So, boy names," Mike sighed.

This was where they had been struggling. They had a long list of names they liked - Samuel, Matthew, Lucas, Alan among them. They just hadn't found the one they both loved. Connie had suggested Michael Anthony Cutter, Jr., which Mike promptly shot down. Mike really wanted to include Connie's Latino heritage in their child's name in some way.

"Maybe we should have found out if it's a boy or a girl," Mike commented.

"Oh no," Connie protested. "We've made it this far. We have less than two months to go."

"That's my point exactly," Mike said as they climbed the steps to their front door. He unlocked it and then ushered Connie inside. They both stopped just inside the door. Mike took Connie in his arms, placing one hand on their baby resting inside her. "Less than two months. This kid needs a name."

Connie reached out to cup his chin in her hands. She leaned forward to kiss him gently. "It's just barely less than two months," she said as she turned and led him on into the house. "We really do have plenty of time."

"So, Oliver's still a no go?" Mike asked. "We could call him 'Ollie'."

Connie just looked at him with an affectionate smile and shook her head.

* * *

A little over a week later, Mike was returning to his office. Connie was still in court, they'd actually just missed each other at the courthouse. Jack stuck his head out of his own office as Mike was walking by.

"Mike, do you have a few minutes?" Jack asked.

Mike was a little taken aback, and immediately began searching his mind to see if he could remember anything that he had done lately that would warrant being called into Jack's office. He walked on in the office, taking a seat in front of the desk that Jack was already seated behind.

"I assume that you've heard that Elizabeth Donnelly is running for judge?" Jack asked,

"Yeah, I saw that," Mike confirmed.

"Depending on the outcome of the election, there could be an opening for a new Bureau Chief of the Special Victims Unit come January." Jack leveled his gaze at Mike. "What would you think about taking that position?"

Mike blinked, raising his eyebrows in surprise. A Bureau Chief would be a significant promotion. His thoughts were all over the place as Jack continued.

"It would involve a bump in salary, of course," he heard Jack say, "but it would put you in more of supervisory role, less time in court. Better hours, you could actually be home for dinner every night." Jack gave Mike a meaningful smile. "That's about to become more important than you probably ever realized." He paused again for just a moment. "It means a bigger office. One not right across the hall from mine." Jack then added what he knew might turn out to be the deal breaker. "And one without your future wife just down the hall."

"Jack, I," Mike faltered, "I don't know."

Jack waved his hand. "I don't need a decision now. I just wanted to put it on your radar," he told him. "Talk to Connie, and my door's open, too."

Mike nodded his head. "Thanks Jack."

Jack nodded in return, then changed the subject. "So, how did the motion hearing for the Hernandez case go?"

* * *

For a long time that afternoon, Mike sat in his office with the doors closed. There were any number of things he could have and probably should have been doing in relation to some of their current cases. But all he could think about was Jack's offer.

 _Bureau Chief!_

At one time in his career, Mike wouldn't have even needed a moment to consider such an offer. He would have accepted it in a heartbeat. Mike had worked hard and steadily climbed the ladder at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office to reach his current position as an Executive Assistant District Attorney. He knew, if he took this next step to become a bureau chief, there would be very few rungs left for him to climb. It was certainly appealing, as was the salary bump and Jack's reminder that he would be able to work more regular hours.

At the same time, Mike knew SVU was not for the faint of heart. Sure, they had seen their fair share of horrors here in Homicide, but SVU cases would primarily focus on the most heinous crimes directed at the most vulnerable victims. Did he really want to live with that each day? Would he be able to disconnect from the atrocities he dealt with at work when it was time to go home to his own family?

There was also the issue of moving into a more supervisory role as Jack had said. Mike remembered once telling Connie that he was pretty good at arguing, that's how he got his job. He loved being in court, figuring out the best way to question witnesses to get what he wanted from them. He loved arguing in front of a jury, seeing on their faces when he was winning them over and when he needed to redouble his efforts.

In this new position, he knew his appearances in court wouldn't end altogether, but they would certainly lessen in frequency. It would become his job to assign cases to other lawyers, lawyers who would work for him, who would look at him as the boss.

The biggest consideration, of course, was Connie. Truth be told, he had always known that their personal relationship was so successful because it was based on the foundation of mutual respect and genuine friendship that they had built during their years as partners. Mike had been a second chair and had worked with other second chairs in his time before Jack was appointed DA and he was promoted to the Homicide Division. No one "got" him like Connie. No one else understood how his mind worked, when to let him go with what initially might seem like a crazy idea, or when to caution him to take a step back. Even when they disagreed, Connie had always been honest with him. He knew he would continue to, and would always have that support from her at home, but was he ready to give that up at work?

At the same time, maybe this was something they needed. A chance to send someone else out to question suspects at maximum security prisons, to track down witnesses and chase down leads in other states and sometimes even other countries. Maybe then, he wouldn't have to worry about some crazy Russian, or Mexican drug lords, or any of the other criminals they prosecuted coming after him or the people he loved.

Little did Mike know, this was just the thing that Jack was thinking about most.

And he was discussing another job opportunity with Connie at that very moment.

* * *

It was as they were making dinner that night that Mike filled Connie in on the discussion he'd had with Jack that afternoon.

"Mike? It's Bureau Chief," Connie said as she tossed the zucchini that she'd just finished cutting up into the baking dish with the chicken, squash, and onions. She smiled at him proudly as he took the dish and slid it into the oven. "That's a big step up," she told him.

Mike nodded, leaning back against the kitchen counter. "Yeah," he said quietly. "Lot of changes though."

Connie smiled. "Well, I know how fond you are of arguing, so not being in court so much will be a big change. A lot more paperwork, too," she said.

"That's not what I meant," he replied.

Connie walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Mike pulled her as close as he could with the baby between them. "I know that's not what you meant," she told him with a smile. "Listen, just because we wouldn't be working together everyday, doesn't mean we'd never see each other," she argued. "You'll still be in the same building, and you'll still be coming home, either with me or to me, every night." She held up her left hand to him, wiggling her third finger slightly. "That's just one more perk of 'putting a ring on it'," Connie said with a mischievous smile.

Mike just smiled, reaching out to take her hand, bringing it to his lips. "You'd have to break in a new first chair," He pointed out.

"Well actually," Connie said, moving her arms to his shoulders, "I had my own little talk with Jack today." Mike raised his eyebrows questioningly. "He suggested that if you do take the Bureau Chief job, that when I come back from maternity leave, I could tag team with Natalie," she told him, referring to Natalie Reese who had already been chosen by Jack to fill in for her when the baby was born.

"Nice," Mike said, a strong note of pride in his own voice as he smiled at her.

"He also said there is going to be an opening in the Immigrant Affairs Division, for a first chair," Connie told him. Mike knew that this was something that was close to her heart, and would be very enticing to her. "Not quite as exciting as homicide, but I think we'll have all the excitement we can handle right here at home."

Mike leaned down to kiss her. "Looks like we've both got some decisions to make."

Connie returned his kiss. "And plenty of time to make them," she said, "but in the meantime, what do you think of Benjamin?"

* * *

The following weekend, Mike woke early on Saturday morning, noticing a distinct fall chill in the air. He supposed it was not unexpected, as they were just days away from the beginning of October. Connie was still fast asleep, snuggled deep into the blankets in their bed. He just wasn't ready to go to the extreme of turning on the furnace, worried that this would cause her to get too hot anyway. So he settled instead for their first use of the gas fireplace. Once the fire was blazing, it quickly chased the chill from the room. Mike headed to the kitchen to start some coffee. He filled his mug, then sank down onto the couch, opening the laptop and once again searching through the baby names website Connie had bookmarked. He'd been looking for about five minutes when a name caught his eye. He said the name out loud, letting it roll off his tongue with the name they had finally agreed on for a middle name if the baby was a boy. Suddenly Mike knew, this was it. He carefully put the laptop on the table and ran to the bedroom. He slid back into bed next to Connie, nudging her gently. "Connie, babe, wake up."

Connie blinked a few times, rubbing her eyes. "What?" What's wrong?" she asked, pushing herself up to a sitting position.

"Mateo Samuel Cutter." Mike announced.

Connie's mouth dropped open, about to ask him if he was out of his mind for waking her up like this, but then it registered what he had said. She repeated the name. Mike launched into the argument he had swiftly prepared.

"It works well with the middle name we picked. It incorporates your heritage, but we can still shorten it to Matt. It sounds good with Cutter either way: Mateo Cutter, Matt Cutter." Mike had one last piece of evidence to present. "It means 'Gift of God'." Mike watched Connie closely, but was unable to read her face. "What do you think?" he finally asked.

Connie looked at him, a wide smile spreading across her face.

"I love it," she said.

"Yeah?" Mike asked.

"Yeah," Connie told him, "although if the baby is a boy I don't think there's any chance my mother will call him anything but Mateo, Michael."

Mike chuckled with a nod. "Yeah, she is partial to full names," he agreed. "So this is it. It's either Elena Katherine Cutter or Mateo Samuel Cutter."

"Yep," Connie agreed.

Mike leaned down near her belly. "Hear that, cantaloupe? You have a name." He planted a kiss just above Connie's belly button, then sat up to plant one on her lips.

Connie ran her fingers through Mike's hair to the back of his head, pulling him closer as she kissed him again. "Told ya we'd figure it out in plenty of time."

* * *

 _I was decidedly NOT a fan of L &O sending Connie to Los Angeles and away from Mike, but I have to admit, I did like Mike showing up as Bureau Chief on SVU. I always thought Mike's job as EADA was pretty high up the ladder during the original series, but then his office on SVU was soooo much nicer, so I figured bureau chief must be a promotion. Turns out, in the real life Manhattan DA's office there are a whole bunch of EADAs and some of them are also bureau chiefs or division chiefs._

 _Also, I honestly haven't decided yet if the baby is going to be a boy or a girl….but I'll have to decide sooooon! Hope you enjoyed this chapter….please let me know!_


	21. Chapter 21

_Okay, this chapter does absolutely nothing to develop the plot of our story, but I saw the episode "Zero" on one of the weekend binge-a-thons on WeTV a few weeks ago and this idea lodged itself in my brain and would not leave me alone, so I decided to add in an extra chapter. You guys don't mind too much, do you?_

* * *

CHAPTER 21-

Autumn had finally come to New York. The leaves on the trees throughout Prospect Park gradually changed from a vibrant green to the red, orange, and golden splashes of color so characteristic of this time of year. Leaves that held valiantly for as long as they could before the mid-October breezes finally began to coax them to dance away from their branches.

Connie Rubirosa had always loved fall and spring. The transitioning seasons before winter's chill and summer's heat set in. Fall, especially, was one of her favorite times of the year, heralding the oncoming holidays. This year, fall was more special than ever before, as it was also going to bring the birth of their baby. Connie could hardly believe that in just about a month, they would finally be able to hold their child in their arms. Connie's pregnancy thus far, surprise though it was, had been like a dream. From the very start, she had loved watching the changes to her body as the baby grew. She loved feeling the baby move within her. She loved seeing the wonder on Mike's face the first time she placed his hand on her belly so that he, too, could feel the kicks from their child inside. They were so near the finish line now.

But in the past week, Connie was beginning to understand why some runners often said the last part of the race was the hardest. She was definitely beginning to feel every bit of the 35 pounds of weight she had gained during her pregnancy, at least 15 pounds of which she felt was currently residing in her cheeks. Her back hurt. Her hands and feet were swollen. She wasn't sleeping well because she couldn't find a comfortable position to rest in, and because she had to get up all through the night to go to the bathroom. She felt fat and ugly. She was so tired of maternity clothes, and couldn't imagine there was any possible way that she would ever again fit into her pre-pregnancy clothes.

She tried to hide her melancholy from Mike. She was sure he would tell her she was just being silly. So she kept silent. Mike's attention was currently focused elsewhere anyway. He had been informed by Jack a couple of weeks ago that he would be appearing on a panel at Hudson University to discuss ways to combat violent crime in the city. Mike had tried resolutely to get out of it, going so far as to play the "What if Connie goes into labor?" card. But Jack wasn't falling for it. He told Mike that his presence had been specifically requested as a distinguished alumnus of the Hudson University Law School. His appearance on the panel would reflect positively on the DA's Office, Jack had told him, making it very clear that Mike had no way out. He had since complained about it endlessly.

Unfortunately, Connie wasn't feeling particularly sympathetic while in her own current state of discomfort. She had tried, she really had, but finally as she listened to him that morning, bemoaning the fact that he was essentially going to be wasting half of his work day sitting in a pre-planning meeting for the panel, Connie had gotten rather short with him. So here she now sat, on a bench in the atrium of the law school, waiting for Mike's meeting to end. Connie had decided to extend an olive branch, and had texted to tell him that she would meet him and they could get lunch, maybe take a look at the beautiful fall foliage on campus before going back to work for the afternoon.

A voice suddenly intruded on Connie's thoughts. "Connie Rubirosa? What a surprise seeing you here."

Connie looked over near the entrance to the law library to see the last person she would ever have imagined running into here. "Carly?"

The one time judicial clerk, who Connie knew had harbored feelings for Mike in the past, crossed in her direction. The last Connie had heard, Carly was out of a job and was about to be investigated by the Attorney General. _What could she possibly be doing here?_ Connie thought. She looked to be doing very well for the scandal she had gone through just a little over two years earlier. She was wearing what looked to be an expensive suit and heels. Her blond hair had grown to shoulder-length and looked decidedly sun-kissed, as did her tanned skin. Connie thought she must have recently spent some time on a beach somewhere. She noticed that Carly was currently eyeing her critically as well. When she saw Carly's eyes widen at the sight of her pregnant belly, Connie tried to jump in before Carly had a chance to ask any questions.

"Uh, hello!" Connie said. "What brings you to Hudson?"

Carly pasted on a bright smile and shrugged. "I work here now. In the law library." She paused for a second, then added, "I'm actually the library administrator now."

Connie carefully schooled her features so that her surprise at Carly's words would not show on her face. Connie smiled and nodded as Carly went on.

"Are you still at the DA's Office?" Connie nodded again, but before she could say anything, Carly asked. "I don't suppose you're still Mike Cutter's assistant, are you?"

Connie felt her eyebrows climb before she could stop them this time. Mike always became irritated when someone called her his "assistant." And while news of their recent engagement was currently all the rage all over Foley Square, it apparently hadn't made it much farther than that. "Uh, well," Connie answered, "we still work together, yes."

Carly smiled, glancing around the atrium. "So you might know about the panel he's sitting on later this week," she said, then added, "thanks to me."

Connie was starting to get a very bad feeling about this. "Thanks to you?" she asked.

Carly shrugged. "I'm very good friends with one of the organizers. I suggested that Mike would be a good voice to include on his panel. They're meeting here today," Carly looked around again.

"And you're hoping to run into him?" Connie asked, though it sounded more like a statement than a question.

"Well, it couldn't hurt to cross paths with him, right?" she winked at Connie. "I mean, you can't blame a girl for trying."

It wasn't often that Connie Rubirosa found herself at a loss for words, but she truly did not know what to say to that comment. A combination of the pregnancy hormones coursing through her, her recent self-image issues related to her pregnancy, and the residual dislike and, yes, she could admit it now, jealousy that Connie had felt when she had first met Carly all swirled together like a Nor'easter. Carly's next words did nothing to help calm her feelings.

"I notice you're not wearing a ring. Are you having a baby on your own?"

In fact, Connie's ring was currently hanging on a chain around her neck, but was hidden from view as it had slipped inside the collar of her shirt. Her fingers had swollen so much in the past couple of days that she had been forced to stop wearing it on her hand. Unfortunately, before Connie had a chance to set her straight about her ring, her pregnancy, and her fiancé, Carly's phone rang.

"Oh, duty calls. I have to take this," Carly said. She flashed another huge smile, reaching out to pat Connie's arm. "It was so good to see you. If I run into Mike today, I'll be sure to let him know that we caught up!"

And then she was gone, leaving Connie to watch her retreating form. Her thin, blond, tanned, looking very professional on her three inch heels retreating form.

And the storm of uncertainty inside of Connie suddenly began to surge again.

* * *

Mike unlocked the door and entered quietly. The house was silent, and if he hadn't received the message from Connie saying that she wasn't going to be able to meet him for lunch after all and would just see him later at home, he would have thought no one was there. Something was definitely wrong, he just wasn't sure what, and he hoped fervently that he hadn't done something stupid without his knowledge to upset his very pregnant fiancée. After hanging up his coat he moved farther into the house, where he found Connie sitting on the couch working on her laptop. The computer was currently resting on the arm of the couch, as Connie's lap was, at the moment, virtually non-existent. A single lamp on the end table next to her provided the only light in the house, other than the flickering of the flame from a lavender and vanilla scented candle that was burning on the mantle above the fireplace, filling the room with a soothing aroma. Connie had received the gift at her baby shower, something to help her relieve any stress she might feel during the final weeks of her pregnancy. Mike saw that Connie was frowning down at the computer screen as her fingers flew across the keys. Everything about her demeanor told Mike that he needed to tread lightly.

"Hey babe," he said quietly, picking up the stack of papers sitting on the couch next to Connie so that he could take their place. Connie grabbed the papers from him, placing them on the end table and turning away from him as she directed her attention once again to the laptop screen.

"Do you realize how much we have to get done before the baby gets here?" she said. Mike chanced a look over her shoulder to see what website she had up on the computer. "27 Things You Should Do In the Last Month of Pregnancy." Mike raised his eyebrows as Connie continued. "I have to pack my bag. We have to get a car seat, because the hospital might not let us leave without one. And how are we going to get home? We can't bring a newborn on the subway! I've got to finish washing all the baby clothes. We've got to get the bassinet set up in our room."

Mike placed a hand on her back, rubbing gently. Without really thinking, he defaulted to his tendency to answer an argument by posing a question. "Well that's all stuff we can figure out pretty easily, I think. Aren't you the one who's been saying all along that we have plenty of time?"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Mike knew he had made a mistake. He could tell from the look on her face, that he had just said the wrong thing to Connie. She narrowed her eyes at him, pursing her lips. "Just forget it," she sighed, "you clearly don't understand."

Mike was almost afraid to move. He had absolutely no idea what to do or say now to dig himself out of the hole he found himself in. He wasn't even sure how he'd gotten here in the first place. He decided a change of subject might be the safest way to go. "I'm sorry our lunch plans didn't work out. Was everything okay?"

"Oh yeah, sure," Connie said without meeting his eyes as she started typing once again. "I'm sure your old girlfriend was more than happy to join you."

 _Whoa,_ Mike thought, a puzzled look crossing his face. He had no idea where that came from, but he suddenly felt like he was walking into a minefield. "My what?" he asked.

Connie forcefully placed the laptop on the end table, then turned to finally meet his eyes. "Carly," she said.

"Carly?" Mike asked. It took him a minute, but he finally realized who Connie was referring to.

"Yes, beautiful, skinny, successful, law library administrator at Hudson University Carly, who thought you would be a 'good voice' when she recommended you to sit on this panel. I ran into her while I was waiting for you on campus this afternoon," Connie said. Her eyes dropped, and some of her anger was replaced by fear. "Did you know she worked there? Have you been talking to her?"

Mike was finally beginning to understand what was going on here. He reached out to take Connie's hand in one of his, using his free hand to tip her chin up so she would meet his eyes. "Connie, no," he told her earnestly. "I haven't seen or heard from her in over two years, not since the mess with Judge Reynolds. I have no idea what she is doing now, and I certainly haven't talked to her."

Connie searched his face, then sighed. "Are you sure?"

Mike raised his hand as if being sworn in in court. "So help me God," he said seriously. Connie nodded her head, then dropped her gaze to her lap. Mike once again brought her eyes back up to his. "What's going on?"

Connie just sighed, trying her damnedest not to burst into tears. She had already embarrassed herself enough, she didn't need to add a complete, blubbering breakdown to the list. "I was waiting for you today in the atrium and she showed up. She just looked so polished and put together and was going on about how she is now the administrator of the law library." She paused and glanced up at him, then dropped her eyes again. "She started talking about you, asking if I was still your assistant. She said she had pulled some strings to get you on that panel, and she was waiting there, hoping to run into you."

"What?" Mike asked, surprise and anger in competition for dominance on his face.

" 'Couldn't hurt to cross paths with him. Can't blame a girl for trying'," she mimicked Carly's overly sweet tone, then added quietly in her own voice, "Bitch."

Mike was flabbergasted. "She said that to you?"

Connie just nodded. "Then she asked if I was having a baby on my own, since I didn't have a ring."

"Unbelievable bitch," Mike breathed.

Connie smiled a little. She really did feel better for having told him, so she decided to go on. "It's not all her fault. She was kind of snarky, but she's never been my favorite person, and listening to her practically lusting over you and seeing her looking so beautiful when I'm as big as a house and can't even tie my shoes or shave my legs anymore, it was just too much. I just had to get out of there.." She looked up at him with watery eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't wait for you to finish your meeting, and I'm sorry I've been so all over the place lately. It's just…" she trailed off.

"Hey," Mike said gently, "talk to me."

Connie heaved another deep sigh. "I'm so tired of being pregnant," she confessed. "Everything hurts. I can't sleep at night. My breasts have started leaking. I barely have the energy to get through the work day, much less spend any time with you. I miss you, but I know I'm huge and fat and ugly and unbelievably moody, so why would you want to be around me anyway? And as much as I am ready to have my own body back, I am terrified about what comes next. What if I can't do it? What if I can't handle labor? What if I can't figure out how to breastfeed? What if I'm a terrible mom?"

As hard as she had tried, Connie was not able to control the errant tears that had escaped her eyes and were now making their way down her cheeks. Mike took a moment to gather his thoughts, knowing how important it was that his next words were just right. He cupped her cheek with his hand, wiping away her tears with his thumb.

"Connie, I'm sorry you had to run into her like that, but I swear to you, I haven't seen or talked to her in years, and I have absolutely no desire to." He smiled at her. "Why would I ever want her, or anyone else for that matter, when I have you?" She couldn't help but smile at his sweet words. "Listen, this is going to sound like a line, but it's the God's honest truth. The moment I first saw you I thought you were the most beautiful woman in the world." She scoffed at him, but he continued. "No, I mean it. And I know you aren't exactly comfortable right now, but when I look at you, carrying our baby, you are even more beautiful. And to know when we are out somewhere, that when people look at you, they can see what we created together, it's just," he paused for a moment, shaking his head as if searching for just the right words. "It's everything."

"Mike," Connie whispered, tears filling her eyes once again.

"Don't cry, babe," he said leaning in to kiss her tenderly. As their lips parted he lingered close, whispering to her. "I know a lot of this is scary, and you are the one doing most of the heavy lifting right now, but we are in this together, all the way. And you are going to be a wonderful mother, of that I have no doubt."

"I love you," she whispered, leaning her forehead against his. "I'm sorry I've been so cranky and crazy lately."

Mike caught her lips one more time, then sat back on the couch, taking her in his arms. "You are growing a tiny human in here," he observed, running his hand over her belly. "As far as I'm concerned that gives you carte blanche to be as cranky and crazy as you want."

At that moment, they both felt the push of a foot or a head or an elbow from within. "See," Mike said with the awe filled smile that he always wore when he felt the baby move. "Someone else agrees with me."

Connie huffed out a small laugh before Mike grew serious again. "And this weekend, I will help with the rest of the baby laundry and we can get a car seat. I'm also going to get you one of those great big pillows to see if that will help you sleep. You go ahead and pack your bag, and we'll cross off anything else on your list that we can," Mike told her. "Don't forget, Natalie is going to start working with us next week, so that will take some of the pressure off at work. And anything else that comes up, we'll handle it together." Mike smiled, dipping his head to catch her eye. "How many times do I have to tell you, you're stuck with me."

Connie threw her arms around his neck, nestling as close to him as she could. She rested in his arms, savoring the feeling of safety, security, and just rightness that she always found there. "Thank you," she whispered to him.

Mike held her close for a long moment. "Will you do something for me? Two things actually?"

Connie pulled back to look in his eyes. "Anything," she said.

"Will you tell me when you're feeling like this? I knew something had been bothering you all week, I just didn't know what or how to help. What you're doing here," he placed his hand on her abdomen, "I'm in awe of it, and I just want you to be as comfortable as possible. I'll do whatever I can to help you."

Connie leaned forward to kiss him. "Thank you. I promise I'll talk to you. What's the other thing?" she asked.

"Will you come to the panel on Friday?*

Connie quirked a half smile. "If you need a cheerleader, I can think of someone else who's sure to be there that would love that job."

Mike shook his head. "I need you," he told her as he leaned forward and brushed her cheeks, chin, and finally her lips with his own.

Connie whispered, "I'll be there. I wouldn't miss it," as she deepened their kiss, effectively ending the conversation for the time being.

* * *

Connie sat about halfway back in the auditorium style room. She had a perfect view of Mike and the other members of the panel seated at the right of the stage, and the moderator seated on the left. She was quite impressed by Mike's contribution to the discussions, no matter how much he had dreaded attending. As always, his attention to detail and creative legal mind served him well. Connie had to hand it to Carly if she really was responsible for him being included. Mike came away looking like the golden boy of the group, especially to one ardent observer. Connie had a very clear view of the blonde seated in the front row. She was sure Mike had already spotted her as well. Carly was hard to miss.

The panel was just wrapping up. The moderator thanked each of the participants individually, as well as the administration of Hudson University and the assembled audience for attending. She then closed the proceedings by inviting everyone to attend a small reception in the atrium. Connie watched as Mike exited stage right. Connie glanced over in time to see Carly's face fall just a bit as he left through a side door. She watched as Carly turned and headed toward the doors at the back of the room, seeing her exit before Connie herself also began to move toward the atrium.

She quickly found Mike, currently holding a conversation with one of the other panel members who Connie recognized as the director of the criminal case division at the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. There was a handful of other people around them, Carly included, but she was behind Mike and had yet to have an opportunity to speak to him. Connie noticed that she again was impeccably dressed, though she was wearing the same suit she'd had on earlier in the week. Connie started to make her way toward the group, and was close enough to hear Mike's voice, and see the shock on Carly's face, when he met Connie's eyes and said, "Jeffrey, have you met my fiancée?"

Mike smiled as he came to meet Connie, taking her hand and leading her back to the group. "Jeffrey Zornberg, Connie Rubirosa," Mike introduced them.

Connie exchanged a handshake with the gentleman Mike had been speaking to. Mike kept his hand at the small of her back as Jeffrey asked when the baby was due. Mike answered with excitement before Connie even had a chance to. Mike rubbed his hand gently across her back as they continued their conversation. Connie wasn't sure if Mike knew that Carly was standing close enough to overhear when he introduced her as his fiancée, and she was certain he had not seen the look of combined shock and disappointment cross Carly's face.

But as they left 30 minutes later, Connie had no doubt about Mike's intentions in asking her to be with him at the panel. He intended to send a very clear message to Carly, and he was able to do it without saying a word. As they walked through the atrium, they passed the wall of windows that looked into the law library. They couldn't help but notice Carly sitting at the circulation desk. Mike saw Carly's eyes start to turn their way and he stopped. He couldn't be sure that Carly saw what happened next, because his eyes never left Connie's.

"Thanks for coming," he told her sincerely, as he leaned in to kiss her lips quickly but tenderly. She took his arm as they walked together out into the late fall afternoon.

As they made their way down the sidewalk leading from the Law School, Connie squeezed Mike's arm. "You did that on purpose, didn't you," she said.

He shrugged. "It seemed like a good, non-confrontational way to get the message across without really being harsh, with the added bonus of showing off my beautiful fiancée. Oh, and by the way," Mike said, glancing over at her, "when I was talking with the dean of the law school, he told me that one of the 'girls that ran the circulation desk' at the library mentioned that she knew me. Carly's not the library administrator, just an hourly employee at the library."

Connie could have been angry, or she could have just laughed out loud at the discovery of Carly's lie. Truth be told, she just felt sad for the woman who felt she had to fabricate such a story about her life, and grateful for the man currently at her side and the life they had together. "I say we don't let her take up another minute of our time."

Mike agreed, except for one thing. "So, all those years ago, when I asked if we had a jealousy problem…" he trailed off, smiling at her mischievously. "We're you jealous?"

Connie just shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Mike laughed, reaching out to take her hands as he came around to walk backwards in front of her. "You were!" he exclaimed. "You were jealous! I knew it!" Connie just continued to shake her head, not meeting his eyes, but couldn't contain the small smile creeping across her lips. Mike pulled her closer and kissed her, then asked seriously. "You really were, even then?"

Connie kissed him again. "I was insanely jealous," she told him truthfully, "even then."

Mike leaned close to kiss her one more time, before offering her his arm. They continued on their way across the tree lined campus on a beautiful fall day, with thoughts of Carly all but forgotten.

* * *

 _I remember how tough that last month of pregnancy was….I think Connie showed extreme self-control here in not just decking Carly. Thank you for reading, and (as always!) I'd love to hear what you think!_


	22. Chapter 22

_To quote one of my favorite Marc Cohn songs, "The Things We've Handed Down"-_ " _I wonder who you'll look like? Will your hair fall down in curls? Will you be a mama's boy, or daddy's little girl?"_

 _Time to find out! But first, a little anniversary celebration!_

* * *

CHAPTER 22-

Mike Cutter tapped his foot impatiently as the elevator continued to climb. The last place he thought he would be on this Saturday evening in early November was heading into his office. Since Natalie had started working with them these past few weeks to get acclimated to the office and, in all honesty, to working with Mike, they were accomplishing enough during their regular workday that they really had very little to do on the weekends. It was true this past week especially, as Natalie had begun appearing in court with Mike as his second chair, while Connie stayed off her ever-swollen feet as much as possible back at the office. Natalie, so far, had proved to be professional, smart, and capable.

Plus, she was a Yankees fan.

Mike had secretly been worried about working with anyone other than Connie, and it was only the circumstances that necessitated it that even made such an idea tolerable. They were no longer counting the months until the baby was born. They were now counting in weeks, and soon it would be days. Mike and Connie were both existing in a strange combination of anxious excitement. They could not wait to meet their baby, Connie especially was ready to have her body back. But at the same time they were a little unsure if they were really prepared for the enormous task ahead of them. They both knew they were bound to make a million mistakes, but they were approaching parenthood with the determination that they directed at every other part of their lives, even as they were aware that life as they knew it was most certainly about to completely change.

Connie had come into the city earlier in the afternoon to meet her sister for lunch. That was why Mike had been surprised when she called, reassuring him that everything was fine, but could he come and meet her at their office?

 _Surely she's not in labor,_ Mike thought to himself. Though, truth be told, with every text message or phone call he received from Connie he answered with every fiber of his being ready to spring into action to execute any of the number of contingency plans that he had formulated in his head for when Connie went into labor. He had a plan for them if it happened while they were at home or at work. He had one plan in case they were together when she went into labor and another for if they were apart. He truly felt like he had all of his bases covered.

Now to find her and make sure it was not time to put one of said plans into action.

He passed Connie's empty desk on the way to his office, which was also empty. He was about to turn to leave the room when he saw one of Connie's favorite neon pink Post-it Notes stuck to the whiteboard. In Connie's unmistakable handwriting he saw the message:

 _Come to the conference room._

A smile teased at the corner of his lips as he turned and headed in the appropriate direction. He saw Connie through the windows before he reached the door, her dark head bent over a file on the table in front of her, and he was hit with the strangest sense of deja vu.

 _She's so beautiful,_ he thought to himself.

As he came into the room, Mike noticed several cartons of Chinese takeout on the table, and all at once, everything clicked. She had remembered the significance of this day as well as he had. Connie looked up and favored him with a smile.

"You got the Singapore-style noodles?" he asked, a gentle smile playing across his lips.

Connie's eyes met his. She held his gaze, full of love, as she just shrugged. "They're your favorite."

Mike made his way to her side, kneeling down next to her so she would not have to get up from her seat. "As I recall, we had a dinner very similar to this one year ago tonight."

Connie returned his smile. "Mmmhmm, and you told me that things could get complicated," she said, her voice soft, "but then you kissed me anyway."

He smiled as he remembered that kiss in the past, leaning close to kiss her in the present. "And instead of complicated, I found everything I could have ever wanted."

Connie let her forehead rest against Mike's. "Me, too," she whispered, They were both wearing matching smiles as Connie captured his lips with her own.

Mike moved to take the seat next to Connie as they began to dig into their meal. "I didn't forget, by the way," he told her.

"Yes, I know," Connie said, "the van from the florist was just pulling up when I left the house earlier. I can't wait to actually see the flowers, though."

Mike shrugged. "Well, since today marks one year and yesterday was 'Love Your Lawyer' day,"

"What?" Connie interrupted incredulously. "That's not a real thing."

"Yes it is," Mike insisted, lifting chopsticks laden with noodles to his mouth. After he had swallowed the bite, he continued. "Natalie told me about it on our way back from court yesterday. Her husband was taking her out last night to celebrate."

"Are you sure he didn't just make that up to get lucky?" she asked, biting into one of her Asian lettuce wraps.

"They've barely been married three months," Mike observed. "They don't need a reason to get lucky."

"Oh really?" Connie smirked. "I guess that's just another perk of being a newlywed, then?"

Mike couldn't help but kiss her again. "So I hear. But I am very interested in finding out first hand."

"Oh you will," Connie promised, "just a few more months."

Mike grew serious for a moment. "We don't have to rush it," he told her. "If you need more time to get acclimated to our other big, life changing event."

Connie just shook her head with a smile. "No way, I already have wedding plans in motion. Don't you think we've waited long enough?" she asked, even though she already knew what his answer would be. He had told her repeatedly and in no uncertain terms that he would marry her anytime, anyplace, anywhere she wanted. And while Connie fervently believed that their upcoming wedding was all about them and should happen on their terms, she could not help but want their baby there, too, which lead her right into her next thought. "Besides, it will be much more fun for our whole little family to have the same last name."

Mike just looked at her, a delighted smile spreading across his face. "You're going to take my name?" he asked. He knew lots of married women who kept their maiden names professionally. It had never occurred to him that Connie would take his, but now when faced with the reality of just that, he realized it was something that would make him incredibly happy.

"Of course I am," Connie said, her voice laced with surprise. They had never really discussed it, but as far as she was concerned it was a foregone conclusion that she would take his name. "I may hyphenate at work, at least for awhile, but socially, just call me 'Mrs. Michael Cutter'."

Mike very deliberately set his chopsticks down, took Connie's face in his hands tenderly, and proceeded to kiss her senseless.

* * *

Wednesday, November 17, 2010 dawned like any other day. Connie had recently taken to showering in the evenings so as to catch an extra half hour of sleep in the morning before work. Mike was up early, going through his regular morning routine. They made it out of the house and to the subway with time to spare, until Mike started looking through his briefcase for some of the documents that he needed for jury selection in court that morning. Being unable to find them, he concluded that they were still sitting on his desk in his office. Suddenly, his plan to go straight to the courthouse was dashed, and he was going to run the real risk of being late for court. He tried to call Natalie, but she was already on her way to the courthouse. Hoping in vain, Mike searched through his briefcase one last time as they sat on the train, and at last found the missing file stuck inside another folder. Connie teased him as they walked up the stairs at the Canal Street station that she was the one that was supposed to be experiencing "pregnancy brain," not him. He reminded her that with her due date now only days away, he couldn't help but have her pregnancy on his brain, too. He called Natalie back one more time to let her know the file had been found and he was heading to the courthouse, shoving his phone down into his briefcase as he swiftly kissed Connie before she departed toward 1 Hogan Place as he turned to make his way to 60 Centre Street.

It was midway through the morning that Connie began to feel a pinching in her lower back. She dismissed it initially, figuring it was probably just a strained muscle or had something to do with the way the baby was currently situated.

But as the day went on, the pinching continued. Connie tried to carry on about her work day as usual, but was keeping track of when the pains in her back surfaced. So far there was no regularity to their appearance. Sometimes they would be 15 minutes apart, then 20 to 25 minutes apart. She sent Mike a text message, knowing that he would want to be kept up to date, but cautioning him that this could very likely be nothing more than the Braxton-Hicks contractions that they had learned about in their childbirth classes at the hospital. She wasn't surprised when she did not receive a reply, as she knew he had probably just gone back into court after the noon lunch break.

Two hours later, the pains had increased in both rhythm and intensity. She was standing in Mike's office, having come in to put a file on a recently closed case away, when the worst pain yet hit. It took Connie's breath away, and she was forced to grab onto the back of one of the chairs in front of Mike's desk to steady herself. She tried to remember everything that she had learned about breathing through contractions, but the pain made it difficult to focus. Finally, after about a minute, the pain subsided. She looked at her watch. Still ten minutes apart, just like the last three times. It was, however, only nine minutes later when the pain arrived again. She was still standing there, holding onto the back of the chair a couple of minutes after the last contraction had ended when she heard a voice from behind her.

"Connie? Are you alright?" Jack asked.

She turned, offering him a tight smile. "I think I'm in labor," she said.

Jack came forward and took her arm, helping her into the chair. "Have you called Mike?" he asked.

Connie shook her head. "I've left him a couple of messages, but he's in jury selection today. Besides, it's too early, the contractions are still too far apart for us to go to the hospital anyway. I was hoping to be able to wait until he gets back from court for the day."

"Still, I think it's better to get in touch with him earlier rather than later, don't you agree?" Jack reasoned.

Connie was about to argue, when another wave of pain hit. She grabbed onto the arms of the chair, sitting forward in an attempt to relieve the pain coursing through her spine. When the contraction finally ended, she looked at her watch. Only seven minutes that time.

"Maybe we'd better get him," she agreed.

* * *

Mike eyed defense attorney Nick Margolis, who was currently questioning the prospective juror on the stand. _He has to know there's no way in hell I'm going to agree to this guy,_ Mike thought to himself, a little irritated that the lawyer seemed so hell-bent on wasting everyone's time. So far, after almost a full day's work, they had only successfully seated two jurors. Even Judge Laramie was getting a little bored with Margolis's tactics to string along the jury selection.

Mike noticed Natalie scribbling something on the legal pad in front of her, then sliding it over for him to see.

 _He's not ready to take this to trial yet, is he?_

Mike nodded in the affirmative, though he wasn't sure what the defense was still hoping to find.

Mike suddenly caught a movement out of the corner of his eye, and was shocked to see Jack standing at the edge of the gallery.

"Mr. McCoy?" Judge Laramie said, mirroring Mike's surprise at the appearance of the District Attorney in his courtroom.

"Pardon the interruption, your honor," Jack said, "but I would like to ask that you excuse Mr. Cutter for the rest of the day's proceedings. Ms. Reese can continue with the jury selection on behalf of the People."

Mike looked at Jack in shock as the judge questioned with a knowing smile, "May I ask the reason for the necessity of Mr. Cutter's absence?"

Jack glanced over at Mike before addressing the judge. "His assistance is going to be required in the very near future in the maternity ward of Presbyterian Hospital, your honor," Jack answered, his smile matching that of Judge Laramie's.

"What?!" Mike exclaimed.

Natalie let out a laugh. The prospective jurors looked around at each other, not knowing quite what was going on. Margolis was on his feet in an instant.

"Your honor, I'd like to request a continuance, for humanitarian reasons," he said. "I would never want Mr. Cutter to miss the birth of his child."

"And it will give you a little more time to prepare your case," the judge observed. "But I am inclined to grant your request on the basis of your first statement. Jury selection will begin again tomorrow at 9 am, and Mr. Cutter, you will be excused from the proceedings for as long as you need." The judge banged his gavel with a smile, and Mike jumped to his feet. He looked questioningly at Jack.

"She's fine, Mike, it's early and there's still plenty of time, but we thought I should come and get you so that when it is time to head to the hospital, you'll be there," Jack told him, then shrugged, "Haven't you checked your messages?"

Mike's hand immediately went to the inside breast pocket of his suit jacket, where he had taken to keeping his phone so he would feel it vibrate if Connie was trying to contact him, even in court.

But it wasn't there. He suddenly remembered shoving the phone into his briefcase that morning in his rush to get to the courthouse. He grabbed the tan leather case from the floor, rifling around inside until he found the phone, seeing the many missed text and voicemail messages. He sighed and shook his head. How could he have been so stupid? He quickly looked back and forth between Jack and Natalie, unsure what to do.

"Go!" Natalie urged, waving her hands at him. "I'll handle everything here, you just go take care of Connie."

"Thanks Natalie," Mike said sincerely, and he turned and let Jack usher him out of the courtroom.

* * *

The afternoon had stretched into the evening. Mike and Connie were currently making their third circuit through the halls of the Mother-Baby Unit of New York-Presbyterian Hospital. By the time Mike and Jack had returned to the office, Connie's contractions were coming about five minutes apart. Connie told him they really should wait until they were consistently three to four minutes apart to go to the hospital, lest they run the risk of being sent home. But after watching Connie struggle through a contraction, Mike said it was time for them to go, in his words, "right the hell now!"

They arrived at the hospital, and Connie was immediately whisked away to the Mother-Baby Unit. By the time Mike caught up with her, she had changed into a hospital gown and was laying on a bed with a fetal monitor on her belly and a pulse oximeter on her finger while one of the nurses was inserting an IV port in the back of her hand. Mike stowed Connie's bag on the counter in the room and came immediately to her side. He took her hand, and was just about to ask what was happening when Connie's doctor came into the room. He asked a series of questions, and checked to see how far Connie was dilated - so far not quite three centimeters. Connie was dismayed by this. She was experiencing back labor, meaning the pain from her contractions was almost all in her lower back. Every time a contraction came, it felt like her lower back muscles were slowly seizing up, like her muscles were twisting harder and harder until it was almost unbearable, until finally, blessedly, the pain would slowly subside. Dr. Chandler had suggested that she try walking around to see if that would help her labor progress to the point where she could get an epidural.

So here they were, Connie in her hospital gown and no slip socks, Mike in his rolled up shirt sleeves having abandoned the suit jacket, vest, and tie that he had been wearing in court not long after they had arrived, making lap after lap around the ward. They had tried to keep the conversation light. Mike had told Connie about the defense attorney's antics during their time in court that morning. He told her about the big grin that had spread across Judge Laramie's face, the back and forth between Jack, the judge, and Margolis when Jack walked into the courtroom, and the look of complete shock on his own face when Jack requested that Mike be excused for the rest of the day. His retelling made Connie giggle, easing at least a little of her tension. The anxious excitement that they had been feeling for the past nine months was at a fever pitch, but was also somewhat of the elephant in the room, almost as if they couldn't believe they had actually, finally made it to this point. They were here. Sometime in the next several hours, they both knew, their baby would arrive.

Truth be told, Mike had never felt so nervous in his life.

Connie's steps were slow and measured. Mike had his right arm wrapped around her waist and held her hand that was free of the IV port in his left. Suddenly, a thought occurred to Connie.

"Did you call your mother?" she asked.

"Yes," Mike reassured her, "and she sends her love. I also talked to your mother." Mike grinned sheepishly at her. "She called to check to see how I was holding up. I'm assuming that was only after she had talked to you."

Connie nodded, "Yes, I talked to her while I was waiting for you to come back from court, but I never thought to call her back and tell her we were here. I told her we would keep her updated."

"Don't worry about that right now. I'll take care of it," Mike assured her. "I'm sure she'll understand that you've been a little busy."

"I know, I just," her words trailed off on a moan as she stopped. Mike turned to her, wrapping both arms around her to hold her up as she put her arms around his neck, resting her forehead on his shoulder as she sagged against him."

"Breathe, Connie," Mike whispered in her ear, "just breathe."

"Oh, Mike," she whimpered, "It hurts."

"I know, babe, I've got you. I'm right here."

They stood there, breathing together, Connie clinging to Mike, until the contraction finally passed. Connie took a deep breath, not raising her head from Mike's shoulder. He finally asked, "Alright now?"

She looked up at him after another long moment, with a puzzled expression on her face. "I think my water just broke."

* * *

Once Connie's water broke, things began to progress somewhat more quickly. She had already struggled with back labor for most of the day, and she was exhausted. The doctor suggested she get an epidural when she was finally dilated to four centimeters, and she was more than ready. The epidural took the pain away, but Connie still felt like she was in control of her body. She was even able to sleep for a couple of hours. Allowing her body to rest seemed to do the trick. When Connie woke up just after 11 o'clock that night and the doctor came back to check, she was finally dilated to ten centimeters. There was a flurry of activity as the bed was converted and Connie was moved into position for delivery. The epidural continued to do its job. Connie didn't feel any pain, only pressure. She would admit later, that for the first half hour that she was pushing, Connie had absolutely no idea what she was doing. She thought she was doing it right, she was bearing down, squeezing tightly to Mike's hand as he counted to ten. But when the doctor checked and saw she had made little progress and told her they were going to let her take a little break, Connie was filled with dismay and exasperation. As the doctor and nurse left them alone in the room, Connie fell back against the bed with a groan of frustration.

"I can't do this," she told Mike, "I'm sorry, I just… I don't have the first damn clue as to how to do this! I…"

"Connie, Connie, stop! Look at me," Mike said, trying to quell her rising panic. He smiled at her, reaching out to gently push away a lock of dark hair that had fallen into her eyes. "I've never seen you back down from a challenge. You can do this, and when you feel like you can't, just focus on the goal. Our baby, Connie. You are going to bring our child into the world tonight.". He took her hand and brought it to his lips. "You can do this."

Connie looked in Mike's eyes. He had been her rock, from the moment he found her in the office in the midst of a contraction. Really, from the moment nine months ago when she had tearfully handed him the home pregnancy test stick confirming her suspicion. She had been terrified of his reaction, terrified of how things would have to change for them, afraid that it would be too much too soon for him to handle. She remembered feeling that way a little herself.

But Mike had been steadfast. He had eased all of her fears and every insecurity. Most of all he loved her. He would do anything for her, she knew.

How could she do anything less for him?

"I love you," she told him.

Mike leaned down to kiss her lips. "I love you, too," he whispered, "so much."

* * *

After Mike's heartfelt words and some more instructions from her nurse, _Connie, your body knows exactly what it needs to do. Just relax, don't force it,_ Connie could immediately tell the difference. This time, she knew she was making progress. She could feel every stretch, every pull, even with the epidural. She was surprised at how quiet it was, with only herself, Mike, one nurse, and the doctor in the room.

Mike, of course, was with her all the way. He helped, along with the nurse as she pushed. He dutifully counted to ten for her as she was pushing, then leaned close to whisper in her ear as she rested between pushes.

"You're doing amazing."

"Just rest for a minute. I'm right here."

"Almost there, babe. We're almost there."

"I love you Connie. I love you so much."

And, then, in the space of a few heartbeats, they were, at last, crossing the finish line.

"Okay, Connie, this is it!" the doctor instructed. "One last big push and you get to meet your baby!"

This time Mike didn't bother counting to ten. He simply leaned in and whispered a litany of words to his love as she brought their child into the world. "Push, that's it! Push Connie, you are doing it, one more push!"

Connie gasped as she felt all of the pressure finally relieved, and in the next moment, heard the most beautiful sound, their child's first cry. Mike and Connie just looked, open mouthed with wonder and tears in both their eyes as Dr. Chandler held the baby up for them to see.

"Congratulations Mom and Dad," he announced. "It's a boy!" Mike numbly followed the instructions he was given to cut the umbilical cord, and then the doctor handed the squirming infant over to his mother.

Connie cradled him close against her chest. "Oh my God, Mike, just look at him." He was unbelievably tiny, with a barely there covering of dark hair on his head. Connie thought he was the most perfect thing she had ever seen.

She looked over at Mike then, his blue eyes shining with tears and what she could only describe as wonderment and pure contentment on his handsome face. And in that moment, Connie knew, seeing that look on his face was worth every bout of morning sickness, every second of self doubt, every ache and pain no matter what the size.

"He's beautiful," Mike choked out, running his finger gently across the baby's forehead. "Hi Mateo. Welcome to the world, little man."

They would barely remember the next few minutes. The baby was whisked away to be cleaned, weighed, and measured. Connie heard something about afterbirth delivery and fundal massage as her epidural was removed, but she barely paid any attention. Finally, after what seemed like hours but was in reality only a matter of minutes, Mateo Samuel Cutter was finally returned to his mother's arms.

* * *

Mateo, they decided, had good timing, which might sound strange considering he was born in the wee small hours of the morning of November 18th. This, however, gave Mike and Connie the perfect excuse to not make the series of phone calls announcing the baby's birth to friends and family right away. Those could wait, Mike reasoned, as no one was likely to appreciate a phone call at 3am, except possibly Mateo's new grandmothers, but Mike would lawyer his way out of that argument if need be.

Instead, they had several hours to get settled, and for Connie to try to get a little sleep. She was utterly exhausted, but it wasn't easy for her to rest as the nurses came in every couple of hours to check on her and the baby. Mike was grateful that she was, at last, sleeping peacefully now, if only for a short time.

He, himself, was in a state of elated exhaustion. Though he would never dream of comparing his fatigue to what Connie must be feeling, Mike also couldn't bring himself to close his eyes, because to do so he would have to stop looking in wonder at the little miracle in his arms.

 _My son,_ he thought.

A memory came to Mike then, unbidden, of one of their past cases. The case involving a computer glitch that caused a number of people to believe the rapture had occurred without them, and the underlying scam being perpetrated by George Darvey. He recalled standing in a church with their key witness, Nathan Reeves, trying to convince him to tell the truth on the stand. This case had always stuck with Mike because of how Connie had been able to get through to the reverend, and because of the feel of the softness of Connie's hand in Mike's as he held it while they stood together with Reverend Reeves as he prayed.

But now, he remembered the questions that Reverend Reeves had posed to him that day:

" _Why are you here, on Earth? What is the purpose of your life?"_

As he looked down at the baby in his arms, this perfect little boy that he and Connie had created together, he now knew, without a shadow of a doubt, his life's purpose.

"For someone who never held a baby before tonight, you look like a pro already," Connie's quiet voice broke into his thoughts. She had awakened just a few minutes ago, but instead of getting Mike's attention right away, she just took the time to watch him, to watch _them,_ father and son, together.

Seeing the look of happiness and fulfillment on Mike's face as he gazed down at their son, Connie felt like her heart might burst with happiness of her own.

Mike looked up at her, and said with naked honesty, "I'm scared to death that I'm going to drop him."

Connie just laughed a little as she slid over on the bed, patting the space beside her. Mike moved to her bedside, then gently placed Mateo into his mother's arms. He gingerly slid onto the bed next to her, careful not to jostle either of the other occupants of the bed too much. When everyone was settled, Connie held the baby out in front of them, carefully cradling his head in her hands. Mike reached out to run a finger down his cheek, then slid his finger into Mateo's little hand. They both watched in awe-filled delight as the baby stretched and yawned, getting into a comfortable position before drifting back to sleep.

"Look what we did," Connie said with a smile on her face. She nudged Mike's shoulder with her own. "We did good."

"Yeah, we did," Mike agreed, then added in total admiration, "Although you did most of the work. You were amazing, babe."

Connie leaned over and kissed his cheek before resting her head on his shoulder. "I couldn't have done it without you. And I wouldn't even want to try."

They sat together for a long time, just staring at their little guy. "We should probably call our mothers soon," Connie finally said.

"We can wait a little while longer," Mike said, glancing at the clock and seeing that it was only a little past six in the morning. "I'm not ready to share him just yet."

Connie felt her heart overflow again with love for this man. "So, Dad," she said, and Mike looked over at her as a grin spread across her face. "Are we ready for this?"

"You better believe we are, Mom," Mike said as he moved to kiss her gently. "You and I together, we can do anything."

* * *

 _So I wrote myself into a bit of a corner here! I had already written a "Mike and Connie have a baby" story (Shameless plug - go read "He Just Knew"- my very first story, that I actually finished about a year ago and it took me two more months to be brave enough to post!), and, in the spirit of "writing what you know," that story was basically a play by play of my experience giving birth to my son. In writing this chapter, I knew I wanted it to be very different, but having only experienced childbirth once so far, I relied heavily on advice from my dear sister when writing about Connie giving birth in this story. I hope it works, and seems realistic but not too sappy. Please, please let me know!_

 _Only a couple of chapters to go….stay tuned!_


	23. Chapter 23

_Okay this chapter is a direct result of me trying **desperately** to get myself into the Christmas spirit and one too many Hallmark movies…_

' _Tis the season!_

* * *

 _Chapter 23-_

Connie entered the house, as had become their new custom when coming home while the baby might be sleeping, as quietly as possible. She had finished the last of their Christmas shopping while Mike and Matty, as they had both taken to calling him, stayed home together. Figuring Mike would have the baby in the family room, she bypassed towards their bedroom so she could stash the bags she was carrying, some of which held gifts for Mike, away with the rest of the presents that still needed to be wrapped. Connie was excited for Christmas, low-key though it was going to be with a baby that was just a little over one month old. But she was excited for their first holiday together,

Okay, technically Thanksgiving had been their first holiday, but as Mateo was only one week old, Thanksgiving had been virtually non-existent for them. That first week at home with their baby was kind of a blur for the new parents. Connie was sore as a result of giving birth and struggling with nursing, and adding these stresses to her already exhausted state was a recipe for disaster. There had been tears, and lots of them. Looking back, she knew that making it through that first week was only thanks to Mike, who was eager to jump right in and help out in any way that he could - even when he wasn't completely sure what he was doing - so that Connie could get some much needed sleep, her mother, who came over during the day for that first week to help out with Mateo and to make sure Mike and Connie were eating, and the lactation consultant, who arrived their first full day at home and helped Connie immensely with the task of nursing, which helped all of them, because a hungry baby was an unhappy baby.

They were, to no one's surprise, absent from the family Thanksgiving gathering at Connie's parent's house, although Connie's sister and brother had stopped by with enough food to feed a small army and to get a peek at their new nephew. Thankfully, their friends and family had given them plenty of space that first week. Mike had taken a couple of weeks off of work to stay home with Connie and Matty, and she was very thankful to have him there with them. They were navigating this new adventure the way they had everything else life had thrown at them in the past year: together.

After stowing her shopping haul in her closet, Connie went in search of her boys. It didn't take long to find them, and she immediately pulled out her phone to take a picture of the scene before her. Mike was relaxing in the recliner next to the Christmas tree, the television tuned to a college basketball game with the volume low. He was dressed in jeans and a dark grey t shirt with Mateo snuggled up on his chest, both of them sound asleep. Mike held his son securely to him, one hand under his bottom and the other splayed protectively across his back. After snapping several pictures, Connie sat down on the arm of the chair. She hated to disturb them, but she knew Matty would be waking soon anyway, ready to eat. Connie gently ran her hand through the hair at Mike's temple. He took in a deep breath and smiled without opening his eyes. "Get all your shopping done?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," Connie answered back. "You boys have been busy, I see. Did you have a nice nap?"

Mike finally opened his eyes, his smile widening as he gently rubbed the baby's back. "The kid's a slave driver," he chuckled.

At that moment, the young master of the house began to stir. They were starting to be able to tell the difference between his repertoire of cries-when he was hungry, when he needed a diaper change, when he was sleepy, when he just wanted Mommy or Daddy to hold him - and the cries coming from him now were most definitely heading toward the "feed me!" variety. Mike gently shifted the baby so he could pass him over to his mother. "Hey now, settle down," Mike tried to quiet him as his cries became more insistent. "Mommy's right here." Connie took him, cuddling him close as she crossed the room to sit down on the couch. Once Mateo latched on, she looked over at Mike, who was just watching them with the besotted grin spread wide across his face that appeared there every time he watched Connie with the baby.

"You're staring again," Connie told him, not really minding. Mike just shrugged as he got up from his chair, coming over to join them on the couch.

"I can't help it," he whispered as he pulled Connie close to him. She simply leaned into him, closing her eyes for a moment.

Once Mateo was sufficiently fed and had a diaper change, Connie laid him down for a nap in the bassinet next to their bed. It had been a lifesaver during these early weeks, as their little guy was usually up at least every three hours or more throughout the night. Though the bassinet was situated next to Connie's side of the bed, it was often Mike who was the first one up with his cries, lifting him gently out of his little bed to take him to Connie. She felt a bit guilty that he woke up with them each time, especially after he went back to work, but he told her not to worry, that he got to doze off while she had to stay awake during those nighttime feedings. Connie loved that Mike was so involved. He had jumped into his role as a father with both feet, and he was not looking back at all.

She found Mike in the kitchen, fixing a sandwich. "Want one?" he asked.

"Yes, please," she told him as she looked at the calendar on her phone. "It looks like this week is going to be pretty busy."

"Are you still okay with bringing Matty to the office party on Wednesday?" Mike asked.

She almost laughed out loud at him. "Why, Mike Cutter, am I to believe that you are, dare I say it, looking forward to the office Christmas party this year? Something you have strenuously avoided for as long as I've known you, I might add."

He ducked his head bashfully. "I just thought it would be a good chance for you to get to see everyone," he told her.

But Connie knew the truth. "Yeah, and you want to show off your son."

"Well, they have all been asking to see him, and pictures just aren't the same, They can't see how brilliant he already is in a picture," Mike argued.

Connie came over and kissed him. "Yes, we will be there. I'm looking forward to it, too," she said as she crossed to grab a bottle of water from the refrigerator. Mike passed her a plate with her sandwich, then sat down next to her at the table with his own. After they finished up their lunch, they began to discuss their plans for the rest of the holiday week.

"So, we'll be at your parent's house Christmas Eve, and then my mom will be here later next week?" Mike asked.

"Yes," Connie told him, then added hesitantly. "Mom said we are welcome to stay the night Christmas Eve if we want."

Mike grimaced just a little. "Do you want to?" he asked.

Connie could read him, so well, and was a little relieved to see that he felt the same way she did. "I think I'd rather be here at home," she said, then shrugged. "I guess it's a little silly. I mean, Matty's so small he's not going to really remember a lot,"

"But it's his first Christmas," Mike interrupted, finishing her thoughts.

"Yeah," Connie agreed simply. "So Christmas morning, here, just the three of us?" Connie asked.

Mike smiled. "Sounds perfect," he told her.

As they worked together to clean up, Connie asked hesitantly, "So, when you were a kid, did you open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?" Last year at Christmas, she had gotten very little out of him as far as Christmas traditions in the Cutter family. She thought, just maybe, he would be a little more forthcoming this year.

Mike actually smiled. "Mom would always let me open one present on Christmas Eve, though she had veto power over which present I chose. Then everything else had to wait for Christmas morning," he told her, then nodded at her. "How about you?"

"We would all get to open one gift after Mass, which was usually Christmas pajamas," she told him. "Christmas morning we had to start with our stockings. We were not allowed to touch another present until we had checked out our stocking first," Connie smiled fondly at the memory.

Who would have ever thought that Mike Cutter would be so excited for Christmas? But he was, and he was not about to deny it. He was excited for this first Christmas with his little family, and he was excited for all the Christmases to follow, for the traditions his family would create together and hold dear for years to come.

A cry rang out through the receiver of the baby monitor that was perched on the counter top next to them. "That's the diaper cry," Connie observed, then smiled at Mike, "And I changed the last one, so you're up, mi amor!"

Mike just nodded, heading off to attend to his wet and crying son.

* * *

The official start of the Manhattan District Attorney's office annual Christmas party was still an hour away when Connie arrived, but she wanted to make sure that she gave herself enough time to feed Matty before the festivities got underway. She made her way out of the elevator, diaper bag slung over one shoulder as she hefted the baby carrier in her arms. She made her way toward Mike's office, smiling and saying hello to some of the interns. Connie knocked on Mike's door frame. He looked up, a smile spreading across his face as he saw them. Mike was out of his seat and around his desk in an instant, coming over to relieve Connie of the car seat, sitting it right in the middle of the desk as he went to work freeing the infant inside.

"Hey kiddo," Mike said, lifting Mateo out of the seat and snuggling him close to his chest. At that precise moment, Jack walked in. The moment he saw the scene before him, a genuine smile spread across his face.

"Well, it's about time I get to see this young fella in person," Jack said, walking over to Mike's side. Jack reached out to shake Mateo's little hand, smiling at Mike and Connie in turn. He placed a hand on Mike's shoulder. "I think I see a lot of his father in him already. He looks like a fine young man."

Mike smiled, dropping his eyes just slightly. Connie noticed that he was blushing. "Thanks, Jack," Mike said. "Luckily, he seems to have his mother's temperament most of the time."

Jack turned his attention to Connie, coming over to give her a gentle hug. "How are you feeling?"

Connie sighed happily, "Exhausted, but happy. Very, very happy."

They continued to chat for a few more minutes, until Matty began to stir. Jack took his cue from the baby.

"I'll catch up with the two of you, or rather, the three of you, a little later," Jack told them. "I'm sure this little man will be the star of the evening."

They watched him go, then Mike passed Matty to Connie, moving to close the blinds in his office, even though with her nursing cover he knew there wouldn't be anything to see. He just wanted to give them as much privacy as he could, figuring once word that the baby was in the building got around people would begin beating a path to his door. Connie settled herself down on the couch just inside the door to his office. Mike watched as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes as their son began to nurse. At one time, he would never have believed that he could love anyone as much as he loved this woman and their baby in her arms.

"Hmmm," Mike laughed to himself. Connie opened her eyes and raised her eyebrows at him questioningly. "I never would have thought…" he trailed off.

"What?" she asked him.

Mike smiled as he came and sat down next to her. "All those years ago, when we first met, would you ever have imagined that one day we'd end up here, like this?"

Connie leaned over to kiss him gently. "I guess good things come to those who wait," she said softly as their lips parted.

* * *

The party was in full swing, and as Jack had predicted, little Mateo Cutter was the guest of honor. He was oohed and aahed over by Jack's secretary and several of the female ADAs from many of the different bureaus, but none more than Natalie. Mike received more handshakes and pats on the back than he could count. The die hard members of "the Michael Cutter fanclub" finally admitted defeat as they watched Mike and Connie together, their heads close and his arm around her holding her near him as they shared a secret smile when Jack finally took a turn holding the baby. There was even the pleasant surprise of the opportunity to catch up with the detectives from the 27th Precinct and their recently retired lieutenant. Once Lupo, Bernard, and Van Buren had heard that Connie and Matty would be attending, they made it a point to drop by. Anita, especially, was thrilled to get her hands on the baby. When the noise of the party seemed to be a little too much for Matty, Anita and Connie took him and escaped back to Mike's office for a bit.

"Connie, he's just beautiful," Anita gushed. "Aren't you, little man? Yes you are. Now you listen to me, anytime your momma and daddy need someone to watch you, you can just come and spend some time with Auntie Anita. That's right," she cooed at him.

"We'll keep that in mind," Connie chuckled. The two women discussed Anita's recent retirement and marriage to Frank, both of which were going wonderfully. Anita asked how Mike and Connie's wedding plans were coming. Connie filled her in on the details, which Anita said sounded just perfect for the two of them.

Mike finally came looking for them, having had his fill of the party. They gathered up all their baby gear, bid everyone a good night and happy holidays, as Mike would not be back in the office until after the New Year, and the family of three headed for home.

* * *

Christmas Eve had turned into Christmas day in the Cutter household. The house was quiet in the hours just before dawn. Connie, dressed in flannel pajamas and warm, fuzzy socks, cradled Mateo close, humming softly as she rocked him back and forth in her arms. His belly was full, his diaper was clean, and he was quickly heading towards dreamland once again, but Connie was not quite ready to put him back down. She had fallen in love with him the instant she saw him, and that love only grew with each passing day.

Connie walked out to their family room, moving over to stand in the shadow of their Christmas tree, looking out the window where snow was softly falling. "So what do you think of your first Christmas so far, Matty?" Connie asked him quietly. "This is Mommy's most favorite time of the year, but even more this year with you here." Connie kissed Matty's head, thinking back over the events of the day with her family. Connie's nieces and nephews had begged to open their presents first thing, but Grammy Rosa said dinner first, as always. The meal was a loud, messy, joyous affair. When it seemed like the younger members of the family could wait no longer, they were finally herded into the family room. There was only mild complaining as the six grandchildren were told to line up in front of the tree for pictures. Ella, Connie's oldest niece, was thrilled to be elected to hold Mateo in his first Christmas cousins picture, especially considering that he was awake and did not cry at all. As the kids dug into their piles of presents, Mike held Mateo while Connie opened the baby's gifts. Connie had cautioned her family not to go overboard this Christmas. They had promised to do their best, especially Connie's brother, who joked that he was saving Mateo's drum set for next year.

They had headed home as the rest of the family was preparing to leave for the early Christmas Eve mass at church, Connie's mother agreeing that the service would probably be just too long for the baby sit through. Mike and Connie spent the rest of the evening just lounging on the couch with the baby, watching "It's A Wonderful Life." Maybe a bit cliche, but Connie loved the old classic and couldn't believe that Mike had never seen in all the way through. He didn't even try to hide how enthralled he became with the story. Connie smiled softly to herself as she thought about what a difference a year could make. Last year at this time, Mike had been worried that he wouldn't survive a quiet, Christmas dinner with just her mother and step-father.

Today, she had watched him as he doted on their child, helped her mother set the table for dinner and clean up after, lounged with her step-father, brother, and brother-in-law watching Tulsa and Hawaii play football because it was the only game happening on Christmas Eve, and sat on the floor with her nephews building a Lego set. He was more at ease around her family than she had ever seen him with just about anyone. And Connie was fairly certain she knew the reason why.

"I'll tell you a little secret. You are even getting your Daddy into the Christmas spirit. He's never even had a Christmas tree in all the time I've known him, and this year, he went out and got this tree all by himself, just for us," Connie said, turning to face the tree. She thought back to the day after Thanksgiving. It had been a particularly rough day. Though she was thrilled to be home with the baby, Connie was a little sad when she thought about the traditions she was missing out on - Thanksgiving, shopping the following day with her sister, setting up her Christmas tree. She burst into tears as she told Mike about her tradition of setting up her own tree during the Friday evening after Thanksgiving, how the twinkling lights would soothe her as she went home to her apartment on her own after spending the holiday with her family. Through tears, she told him about her special ornaments, some that had belonged to her grandmother, a handful that her father had sent her, and the ornaments that mother had bought especially as gifts each year. Mike simply held her and let her talk, all the while formulating a plan in his head.

When Connie's mother came over for her normal daily visit that afternoon, Mike encouraged Connie to take a shower and a nice, long nap, assuring her that between himself and her mother, Mateo would be well taken care of. Connie acquiesced easily, and Mike immediately sprang into action. Connie emerged from their bedroom after her nap with Mateo in her arms and gasped. Standing in front of the window in their family room was a beautiful, six foot tall, live Christmas tree. Hearing her gasp, Mike appeared from behind the tree as he finished placing the last string of lights. Connie smiled, tears once again filling her eyes. Just when she thought she couldn't love this man more...

"Oh Mike," she breathed.

Mike came toward her then, taking her and the baby in his arms. He shrugged and explained that all he had done was run down to the Christmas tree lot around the corner. "Aw, now I didn't do this to make you cry."

They spent the next hour alternating between holding the baby and decorating the tree, Connie telling Mike the story behind so many of her special ornaments. Once finished, Rosa snapped a picture of the new family in front of their first official Christmas tree before she headed home.

Connie placed Matty in his infant seat on the floor next to their tree, then turned to throw herself into Mike's arms. "Thank you," she whispered against his lips.

Mike smiled back. "I guess the lady likes her tree, then?" he asked.

She smiled. "The lady loves her tree."

Connie brought her thoughts back to the present, smiling at the tree then looking down at Mateo in her arms. She sighed happily as she turned toward the bedroom, laying him gently in his bassinet before sliding carefully back into bed, trying not to awaken Mike. She had barely settled on her side when she felt his hand on her hip as he spooned up behind her.

"You were out there for awhile," Mike whispered sleepily. "Everything okay?"

Connie smiled. "Yes, Matty and I were just discussing our first Christmas together. Sorry I woke you."

"I'm not," Mike told her, burying his face in her neck and breathing deeply. "You're warm."

"It's snowing out," Connie told him, snuggling closer to him.

"Hmmm. White Christmas," Mike observed, "Bing Crosby would be happy." He ran his hand slowly down the length of her thigh and back up to her hip.

"Michael," she cautioned him gently. She remembered what these early morning snuggling sessions often led to before the baby was born. Unfortunately, Connie had yet to get the "all clear" from her doctor to resume such activities.

"I know. I'll be good," Mike whispered, kissing her neck. "I promise." He rolled onto his back, pulling her with him. He smiled up at her as she hovered over him. "You are so beautiful," he whispered, gently pushing her hair behind her ear. She had let it grow while she was pregnant, and he loved running his fingers through it.

Connie couldn't help herself, and leaned down to kiss him. "I think you may be a little biased in your view. I've barely slept more than three hours at a time for the past month and a half," Connie whispered as she pulled away. Mike turned her in his arms again so that she was now lying on her back looking up at him. He stared deep into her eyes, his own eyes full of love.

"Beautiful," he whispered as he captured her lips with his own. "Stunning," he continued between kisses. He reached over to lace their fingers together, bringing her hand to his lips, kissing the finger that wore his ring. "Mine," he finished, then leaning down, he kissed her passionately, feeling her body melt into his.

Until a cry rang out from Mateo. Mike reluctantly pulled away, resting his forehead against Connie's as she caressed his cheek. "Not just yours anymore," she said quietly.

Mike chuckled as he rolled out of their bed. He crossed over to lift the baby out of the bassinet, sitting down next to Connie on her side of the bed. "I don't mind sharing you with this guy, I guess." The baby's cries had already quieted, meaning he wasn't hungry. "You know what?" Mike said, looking at Connie with a smile.

"What?" she asked.

His smile widened. "It's Christmas morning." He stood up, Matty still in his arms, and offered Connie his hand. He pulled her to her feet, leaning over to kiss her quickly. "Time for presents!"

There was a tiny New York Yankees cap for Mateo, with a matching one in a larger size for Mike, along with tickets to their home opener for the 2011 season. Connie had also gotten him a new coffee mug with "Daddy est. 2010" emblazoned on the side. Mike immediately proclaimed that this would be replacing his favorite blue mug at work.

Connie received a new, state of the art digital camera. "You need something better than your phone to take pictures of the boy," Mike declared. After hearing Connie tell the stories of her special ornaments, Mike knew that he would be adding to her collection every year. For this year, he chose a simple porcelain disc with a painting of three owls sitting on a branch, the words "Our First Christmas as a Family of Three" arcing over the picture, and a second ornament that was simply a wooden toy building block with "Baby's First Christmas" on one side and Mateo's name and birth date on another. He had also made a return trip to his friend Michele at Tiffany's, who helped him procure a pair of earrings that matched the necklace Mike had given Connie for her birthday last summer.

Connie stood now in the soft glow or the lights from the Christmas tree, looking out the window at the freshly fallen snow. Matty had just finished his breakfast, and Mike had just finished preparing theirs. Connie felt him come up behind her, kissing her cheek as he reached out to gently rub the silky, dark hair on Mateo's head. "Breakfast is ready," he told her quietly.

Connie smiled. "Okay, let me go put him down."

"Nah, bring him with us. I can hold him while we eat," Mike told her as he headed back toward the kitchen.

As she followed Mike into the kitchen, Connie thought back to the movie they had watched the previous night

 _We really have a wonderful life!_

* * *

 _Now all we need is an online petition to get Alana and Linus to make one of those (and I say this with all love and admiration, because I am completely addicted to them) sappy Hallmark Christmas movies! Who's with me? lol! Hope you enjoyed this little bit of Christmas cheer. Please let me know what you think. Happy Holidays everyone!_


	24. Chapter 24

_All good things….._

* * *

 _Chapter 24 -_

Mike looked over at Connie and smiled. Wearing a knit hat, her cheeks tinged pink in the cold winter's night air, he was once again struck by how thankful he was to have her in his life, to have this life they had together. She looked over at him, a bright smile on her face as the voice of the Brooklyn borough president boomed across Prospect Park.

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Happy New Year, Brooklyn!"

As the fireworks exploded overhead, Connie moved to press her lips to Mike's. "Happy New Year," she whispered.

Mike leaned in to kiss her again, suddenly very glad that they had let his mother talk them into going out to celebrate the New Year while she stayed at the house to watch the baby. While she wasn't able to convince them to go all the way into the city, the crowd at Prospect Park was large, if only slightly less unruly than what was probably presently assembled in Times Square.

"Happy New Year," Mike told her in return, "Think we can top 2010?" he asked,

Connie quirked an eyebrow at him. "I don't know," Connie said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "But we can sure as hell try," she told him, pulling him near. Mike laughed into her kiss.

* * *

With all the changes that Mike and Connie had seen in their life together in just the past few months, there were still a few more changes coming for them in the new year. The first of which happened just two weeks into 2011. After long discussions and lots of soul searching, they had both decided to leave the homicide division. For Connie, this would mean heading up to the eighth floor and finally her own office when she moved to the Immigrant Affairs Division upon her return to work at the beginning of April after her maternity leave. She had originally planned to only take three months off, but when her predecessor announced that he would not be taking his retirement until the end of March, Mike convinced her to take the extra month to stay home with Mateo.

Mike's move was happening now. Elizabeth Donnelly's bid for judge was successful, and she began her work on the bench with the start of the new year. For Mike, this meant vacating his current office and moving to a larger, corner office on the opposite side of the same floor. "You're not getting so far away from me that I can't keep my eye on you," Jack joked with him on the Saturday when Mike and Connie arrived to move his things. It had taken most of the afternoon to pack up Mike's essentials and move them, but they were both thankful that they did not have to move between floors.

As Connie returned to Mike's old office, now all but empty of his personal belongings, she stopped in the doorway as she saw Mike standing at the window, looking contemplatively out at the city below. He was tossing a baseball back and forth between his hands. "Hey," Connie said, quietly interrupting his thoughts, "you awake?"

Mike turned then, smiling at her. "Yeah. Just thinking." He came around from behind the desk, sitting down next to her where she had perched on the edge. "This is where everything really started for us." he observed a little wistfully as he bumped her shoulder with his own.

Connie smiled, leaning into his side. "I remember all the times I would sit at your desk to work on the computer, and you would come up behind me and lean close to look over my shoulder," she told him. "I could feel your breath on my neck. It drove me absolutely crazy." She leaned over to place a tiny kiss on his lips, whispering as she pulled away, "Still does."

Mike smiled back at her. "I remember all of the times that you used to sit on the corner of my desk. There was one time, right before we got together officially, when you did it while the detectives were in here with us," he reminisced, leaning nearer to her as he held the ball in his hands up between them. "You grabbed this baseball and you were tossing it back and forth. I'm not sure how I was able to focus on anything anyone else was saying, and I was sure Lupo and Bernard caught me staring at your legs." She laughed as their lips met. Mike grew serious for a moment. "I'll miss working with you everyday."

Connie leaned over to press her lips to his. "Listen," she said as their kiss ended, "I promise, I'll come to your new office at least once a week and sit on your desk." She then gave him a sassy smile as she added, "I'll even wear a skirt so you can check out my legs."

Mike gave a short laugh, but then it was Connie's turn to be serious. She reached out for his hand. "I know it's going to be different, and I'll miss working with you, too," she told him, then squeezed his hand, "but you deserve this Mike. And don't forget, you might not have me right in your office every minute of the day, but I'll only be three floors up. Plus you have me and the boy at home for every other minute of the day," she reassured him.

Mike smiled over at her then stood, using his grip on her hand to pull her to her feet. They both took a long moment to look around the office one more time before Mike turned them toward the door. They made their way across the fifth floor, entering Mike's new office. The space was larger and more open. He had a view of a different part of the skyline outside the window behind his new desk. A large conference table sat in the middle of the room with a fireplace on the opposite wall. Mike wasn't sure yet if it was a working fireplace or just decorative. He made his way to the chair behind his new desk, setting the baseball still in his hands down next to the framed photo of Connie and Mateo that set in a spot that would put it prominently in his field of view. Connie perched on the edge of the desk next to him. Mike simply looked up at her and smiled.

They were going to be just fine.

* * *

Though Connie knew that Mike would excel in his new position, it was not without rough days that he began his tenure as the bureau chief of the Special Victims Unit. The concerns that Mike had about being "the boss" turned out to be unfounded. He had a group of very capable lawyers working with him, Casey Novak and a new guy named Rafael Barba chief among them, which made that part of Mike's job exponentially easier.

It was the nature of the cases that proved to be the most difficult to deal with at times. Mike had known going into it what the cases brought to SVU would entail. Connie quickly learned that there were a few signs that would let her know that it had been a rough day. If she didn't receive some kind of contact from him during the day: a call or a text message asking how the day was going for her and Mateo, was the biggest tip off. Also, if he arrived home after six, because, miracle of miracles, Mike Cutter was becoming much more proficient at leaving work and coming home each day at a reasonable hour.

So when he didn't make it home until later, Connie knew that it meant he was having a little bit of a day. And on those days, she would give him some space to decompress, and then she would hand him his son and direct him to take him into the family room, relax in the recliner and watch "SportsCenter" or go into Mateo's room and sit in the rocking chair and read him some books. After some downtime with his boy, Mike's mood was always significantly improved, and by the time Mateo had been tucked into his bed, Mike was ready to talk to Connie as much as he could about whatever was most difficult about his current cases. And in allowing her to share his burdens it was enough to lighten his load so that he could begin again tomorrow. Each time, he thanked her profusely, to which she always replied, "For better or for worse, remember?"

The time was, at last, quickly approaching when they would officially say those words to each other. Truth be told, though they knew that "making it official" wouldn't really change anything about the way that they felt about each other, it was still something that they were both looking forward to. Exchanging sacred vows and rings, doing so in front of the people who were most important to them, making an announcement of sorts, proclaiming to the world that they belonged to each other.

They had decided to hold the ceremony during the first weekend in March. Connie felt this would give them plenty of time to acclimate to all of the other recent changes in their life together: new house, new baby, Mike's new job. Though Mike would have been perfectly happy to marry Connie within five minutes of her acceptance of his proposal, he understood. Plus, waiting until March had given Connie time to plan the wedding exactly the way she wanted, and that's all that Mike really wanted, too.

The morning of March fifth dawned overcast and chilly. Though Mike and Connie were holding to tradition in several ways for their wedding, spending the night before apart was not one of them. Connie awoke that morning with a smile on her face. She could hear Mateo already starting to stir, but not yet fully awake. The same could be said for his father. Mike turned from his right side to his left, draping his arm around Connie.

"Good morning," he whispered in her ear.

"Good morning," she whispered back, and Mike could hear the smile in her voice. "Guess what?"

"What?" Mike asked.

Connie turned in his arms to face him, placing her left hand on his cheek. "We're getting married today," she said.

"Yeah we are," Mike smiled against her lips. Their kisses continued, until Mateo finally came fully awake. Mike just laughed. "He does have quite a sense of timing, doesn't he?" Connie also laughed lightly as she slid out of their bed. They had moved the bassinet to the far side of the room in preparation of moving Matty to his own room across the hall in a few weeks. She lifted him up gently, kissing his cheeks as she brought him back over toward their bed. She sat down next to Mike, who reached out to take the baby.

"You think he'll be okay tonight?" Connie asked hesitantly. They both agreed, they just couldn't do a honeymoon trip right now and be away from Matty. Mike finally got Connie to agree to a night at The Surrey and a promise that once Matty was a little older, they would indeed, take an extended second honeymoon trip that was more than just an overnighter.

"He's going to be just fine with Grammy Rosa, aren't you buddy." Mike said, holding the baby a little closer before he looked over at Connie. "Are you going to be alright?"

Connie smiled at him, reaching out to take Matty's hand. "Yes I'll be fine," Connie said, then smiled at him playfully. "I'm sure you can come up with ways to distract me if need be."

Mike put on a thoughtful look. "I think that's part of my duty as your husband, right?" _My husband,_ Connie thought, and she felt a little thrill course through her at his words as Mike continued. "I'll keep your focus right where it needs to be," he said, leaning in to kiss her.

* * *

The rest of the morning passed in a blur. Connie and Mateo headed off to rendezvous with her mother and sister at a hair salon. Mike completed his own preparations at home, including making sure that things were ready for Connie's parents to stay there for the night with the baby. Rosa and Jonathan had insisted that it would be easier for everyone if they just stayed there rather than pack up all of Matty's paraphernalia to take to their place. Once sure that everything was ready, Mike grabbed the garment bag with his charcoal grey suit and Connie's wedding band for the ceremony, the overnight bag containing his and Connie's essentials for their honeymoon, and waited for his future brother-in-law to arrive to get him to the church on time.

When they first began discussing plans for their wedding, the one thing Connie wanted above everything was for the ceremony to take place in a church. As their planning continued, it was surprisingly easy to agree on all of the details. Neither of them was really interested in a lavish affair or a huge party. They were both happy with something small and intimate. It was Mike who suggested the chapel at All Souls Church on Lexington Avenue. The second Connie laid eyes on the chapel she knew that it was exactly what they were looking for. From the dark hardwood floors to the simple white pews that would more than accommodate their guest list, it was just perfect for the wedding that Connie was dreaming of.

The ceremony was scheduled to start at 2 pm, followed by a late lunch in a private room at The Writing Room nearby. Mike had arrived at the church an hour early, just to be safe. This, it turned out, was maybe a bit of a miscalculation, as it allowed plenty of time for Mike's nerves to set in. He had not seen or talked to Connie since she had left earlier that morning. Each time he was able to convince himself that there was really no reason to be anxious, a stray thought would creep it's way back in. He knew that he loved Connie, and that she loved him in return. He loved the life that they had built together with their son. He eventually decided that it was normal for a prospective bridegroom to be feeling some nerves less than an hour before his wedding. A talk with his mother helped some, but it was finally Jack, who was really able to calm him.

Jack had found Mike out in the Front Garden, having escaped to get a breath of fresh air.

"I just talked to Connie," Jack's voice broke into his thoughts as he joined Mike on the stone bench on which he was seated. "You have absolutely no reason to look as nervous as you do Mike. Everything is going to be just fine."

Mike let out a laugh. Hearing the words of his mentor, and knowing that his love was nearby and was ready to put an official stamp on their life together, went a long way to easing his concerns. He smiled over at Jack. "Thanks for doing this today, Jack. It means a lot to both of us."

Jack simply nodded. The two men were both quiet for a moment, before Jack spoke again. "At the risk of sounding like I am trying to yank your leash," Jack began, and Mike couldn't help but smile, " if I could give you a little advice, just make sure to keep your marriage and your family a priority." He looked at Mike seriously. "You are very good at your job, and you do it well, but don't let that be the most important thing, or one day you'll look around and realize it's the only thing you have." Jack paused, then added, "coming from a voice of experience here. You are a good man, Mike, and Connie and Mateo make you an even better man. Don't ever forget that."

Meanwhile, in a small room just outside the Chapel, Connie was making her final preparations for the day. Her mother and sister had helped her into her dress, her hair and make up were perfect, and Mateo was dressed in an adorable little dress shirt, complete with bow tie.

Connie looked at herself in the full length mirror. Her mother came up behind her and placed her hands on Connie's shoulders. "You look beautiful honey," she said quietly, a smile on her face.

"Thanks Mom," Connie told her, turning to accept her mother's hug,

"You don't seem nervous at all!" she heard her sister Maria observe. Connie looked over to where she was sitting on a loveseat, Mateo in her arms. Connie just shrugged.

"I'm not," Connie told them. "I'm just excited. We've waited for this day for a long time." And it was true. Truth be told, Connie thought she had probably been waiting for this day since the day she and Mike had met. She was more than ready for it. And at that moment she got her wish as she heard a knock on the door and looked over to see her step-father's head appear.

"Ready sweetheart?" Jonathan asked.

Connie nodded. She reached out to take Mateo from her sister to cuddle him close for a moment, pressing kisses all over his face. The baby laughed with delight. Connie then handed him back to her sister and hugged her mother as they both made their way out the door and moved toward the chapel. She came forward and took her step-father's proffered arm. With a brilliant smile on her face Connie whispered, "I'm ready."

* * *

Their wedding ceremony was to be small but full of meaning, and did include many widely accepted traditions. Their guest list was small, only their families were in attendance. Their wedding party was essentially non-existent. The only other person at the altar besides Mike and Connie was Jack, who had agreed to act as their officiant and perform their ceremony. Mike stood at the front of the small chapel now. There was music playing, Mike had watched with a smile as Connie's mother came up the short aisle with Mateo in her arms. Eschewing the tradition of "bride's family on the left, groom's family on the right," Rosa came and sat right next to Claudia Cutter, handing their beloved, shared grandson to her to hold while they watched with delight as their own son and daughter officially joined their lives together.

The music changed, and Mike turned his eyes away from Mateo and his grandmothers to look toward the other end of the room. His breath caught and his heart skipped a beat as he got his first glimpse of Connie. Though they did not spend the previous night apart, and the groom had already seen his bride on his wedding day, this was the first view Mike had had of Connie in her wedding dress. He thought she always looked beautiful whether dressed for court, a black tie fundraiser, or in the middle of the night in flannel pajamas with baby spit up on them. But to see her now, walking towards him on her step-father's arm, her eyes locked on his and her magnificent smile spread wide across her face, Mike wasn't sure he had ever seen her look more radiant. Connie had chosen a beautiful, ivory, floor length gown. The spaghetti-strap liner was covered with sheer lace that hugged her curves, with delicately detailed bell sleeves that fell past her elbows. She wore her dark hair pinned up in a low bun at the back of her neck. It was adorned with one simple gardenia. She simply took his breath away.

Connie finally reached his side. She turned with a smile to accept a kiss on the cheek from her step-father, then, at last, found herself standing side by side with her love. "You look amazing," Mike whispered. She smiled at him, whispering her thanks as she reached out to take his hand. They both turned toward Jack, who wore a smile as he began speaking.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate one of life's greatest moments, to give recognition to the worth and the beauty of love, and to cherish the words which shall unite Mike and Connie in marriage. Each of you has played an important role in their lives and holds a special place in their thoughts and affections. It is appropriate and meaningful that they call upon you today to take part in celebrating this important event." Jack paused, looking out among Mike and Connie's family. He returned his eyes to the couple before him and continued. "Marriage is the promise of hope between two people who love each other sincerely, who honor each other as individuals, and who wish to unite their lives and share the future together. The vows you take today are a symbolic way of saying to one another, 'You know all those things that we've promised, and hoped, and dreamed – well, I meant it all, every word.' "

"Now, look at one another and remember this moment in time," Jack told them, pausing as Mike and Connie turned toward each other and joined hands. "Before this moment, you have been many things to one another – acquaintances, friends, partners, companions, even teachers, as you have learned much from each other these past few years." Mike nodded in agreement as Connie squeezed his hands tightly. "Shortly you will say a few words that will take you across a threshold of life, and things between you will never quite be the same. Because after today you will say to the world –'This is my husband. This is my wife' " Connie took a deep breath at Jack's words, then reached up to surreptitiously wipe away a tear from her eye.

Jack smiled at them fondly. "We've come to the point of your ceremony where you are going to say your vows to one another. But before you do that, I ask you to remember that love – which is rooted in faith, trust, and acceptance - will be the foundation of an abiding and deepening relationship. No other ties are more tender, no other vows more sacred than those you now make." He paused to let these words sink in. "Mike, you go first," Jack said, nodding in his direction.

Mike took a deep breath and looked into Connie's beautiful brown eyes. Any trace of anxiousness that he had felt earlier had long since melted away. All he felt now was an overwhelming sense of peace and wholeness, something he once thought he would never be lucky enough to find. He squeezed Connie's hands, his eyes never leaving hers as he began to speak. "With my whole heart, I take you, Connie, as my wife, acknowledging and accepting your faults and strengths, as you do mine. I promise to be faithful and supportive and to always make our family's love and happiness my priority. I will be yours for better or for worse, in plenty and in want, in sickness and in health, in failure and in triumph. I will dream with you, celebrate with you and walk beside you through whatever our lives may bring. You are my love and my life, today and always."

Connie locked her gaze with Mike's. She opened her mouth and began to speak straight from her heart. "Mike, I love you," she told him, the first tear escaping down her cheek. "You are my best friend. Today I take you as my husband. I promise to encourage and inspire you, to laugh with you, and to comfort you in times of sorrow and struggle. I promise to love you in good times and in bad, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, when life seems easy and when it seems hard, when our love is simple, and when it is an effort. I promise to cherish you always. These things I give to you today, and all the days of our life," she finished, her voice barely above a whisper. For a moment they were lost in each other's eyes, and it seemed that the rest of the world disappeared.

Jack's voice continued. "It is a custom to exchange rings as a symbol of love, and remembrance of the vows you have just made. As the rings have no end so your love should have no end. These rings will be a daily reminder of your love and the promises you have just made to each other." He paused, nodding to Mike as he handed him the smaller of the two platinum bands that he was now holding.

Mike looked at Connie, then held her left hand gently as he slid the ring home on her finger. "Connie, I give this ring to you as a symbol of my love and devotion." Mike looked down at Connie's hand in his own. Jack then turned to Connie, holding out Mike's ring for her. As she took his left hand and slid the cool, metal band onto his finger, Connie said, "Mike, I give this ring to you as a symbol of my love and devotion." As she finished, she squeezed his hands

Jack began speaking once more to close the ceremony, but Mike and Connie barely heard him. They were so lost in each other. "Now, Mike and Connie, you have come here today and publicly declared your desire to become husband and wife and to live together in marriage. You have made special promises of love and devotion to each other, symbolized by the joining of hands, taking of vows and the giving and receiving of rings. Therefore, having witnessed your vows of marriage before God and all those who are assembled here, by the authority vested in me by the state of New York I now pronounce you husband and wife." He paused, smiling slyly at Mike. "You may kiss your bride."

Mike glanced at Jack for only a moment before once again turning all of his attention towards Connie. He gently reached out, placing his hands on Connie's cheeks. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. Connie's lips somehow felt warmer and softer than every other time he had kissed her. As their kiss finally ended, Connie leaned in close to steal another kiss. As their lips parted again, Jack announced.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great pleasure to present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Cutter!"

In their last nod to tradition, Mike and Connie made their way back up the short aisle of the chapel. They disappeared into the Ware Room just next to the chapel, wanting to spend their first few minutes as a married couple alone together before going back to celebrate with their family. Mike pulled Connie into his arms once again and kissed her affectionately. Connie wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. As their lips parted, Mike rested his forehead against Connie's and whispered, "I love you, Mrs. Cutter."

"I love you, Mr. Cutter," she answered. "Thank you for this beautiful day."

Mike leaned in to kiss her once more. "Thank you for this beautiful life," he told her.

They made their way back into the chapel, accepting hugs and congratulations from all the people that they loved most. Mike took Mateo from his mother, then wrapped an arm around Connie as her brother began to snap pictures. The party would soon move to The Writing Room for their small reception. Mike was looking forward to it, as well as their honeymoon night together.

But truth be told, he was looking forward to everything, every moment: the safe and secure, the tumultuous and the hectic, the normal and the mundane, the outstanding and the extraordinary. He was looking forward to it all, everything that would happen next, with Connie by his side, on this remarkable journey through life that they were on together.

THE END

* * *

 _So, first of all, I own none of the characters you recognize. Law and Order belongs to Dick Wolf, and bless him for it!_

 _The inspiration for Mike and Connie's ceremony came from two of my coworkers who actually did this very thing last summer. You would have to look very carefully to even know that they had been dating for the past couple of years if you weren't close to them, and then they surprised everyone with a very intimate ceremony, attended only by their families and officiated by our boss. It seemed a pretty perfect premise for this story._

 _This story has been my stress reliever and great joy for the past six months. It has been so much fun to write, and I am very grateful to everyone who has been reading. Thank you, one and all! A BIG thanks to Suzcamille,_ _Zaaaaz0102 and bobby2jacob who have been ultra supportive with your reviews and comments throughout this story. I appreciated it so, so much. A BIG BIG thanks to Justicerocks, who has been a great sounding board and encouragement all along the way._

 _Lastly, even though this story is now complete, I'm not done with Mike and Connie. I have a few ideas for more adventures for them, in both this "universe" and in the story line created in my previous stories. Not sure it will be a marathon story like this one, and I can't promise how regularly they will appear, but I'm thinking one shots, probably in random order just checking in with our favorite couple...stay tuned!_


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